Mini Pumpkin Pies~~~16 count

Who would ever think that a martini glass and pumpkin pie would have anything in common. Well I have a tale to tell. It all started with seeing little pumpkin tarts in the grocery store. I confess that I almost bought them, sins of all sins. I must say that common sense prevailed and I knew in my heart that I could make them and not only that but mine would taste better and be fresher. It baffles my mind how long these store baked good expiration dates go on and on, it's just not natural. So back to my tale. I did not have a circular cookie cutter so I scrounged up my Stud Muffin's martini glass to do the circular cuts. It was perfect! I did purchase Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts to help make this recipe quick and easy. By all means if you have the time please make your crust from scratch, don't let me stop you from that.

• 1 package Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, 14.5 oz.
• 1 can, 15 oz pure pumpkin
• 1 can, 12 oz evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Remove pie crust from refrigerator and set out at room temp for 15 minutes. Meanwhile in a medium size bowl whisk together; sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, & cloves, now set it aside. In a large bowl whisk together; pumpkin, evaporated milk, & eggs, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Now it's time to roll out the pie crust onto a floured surface and you will need to roll it out into a 15 inch circle so that the crust is not too thick. You should be able to cut out 8 circles from each crust with your martini glass (my glass was 4 1/2 inches wide at the top). If you can not get enough out of your pie crusts you will need to press scraps together and roll it again, if you need to do this you either did not roll it out thin enough or you did not place the circle cuts close enough together. Make sure that there is plenty of flour on the back of the circle of crust so that it will not stick to the muffin pan.

My Martini dough crust cutter, thanks Stud Muffin!

Perfection!

After rolling and cutting out crust center the crust over the top of the muffin pan and gently press down with a small juice glass.

To the large bowl add the dry mixture from the medium bowl and whisk together well. Pour slightly less than 1/3 cup of the pumpkin mixture into each mini pie crust. Being careful not to spill on the edges so the crust will not stick later. Place in oven for and bake for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer or until knife in center comes out clean.

Now cool these babies on a wire rack for 15 minutes. If any filling has seeped over the edge of the pie it will make the crust stick, if that happened gently run a thin knife around edges to break pie loose. After removing pies let cool for another 30 minutes on wire rack before you cover and refrigerate them to cool. Chill for several hours or overnight to let flavors meld. I like to serve mine with a little fat free Reddi Whip.