Mini Pumpkin Pies

  I had this idea to make mini pumpkin pies a while ago. My mom had the brilliant suggestion to make them in muffin tins, so I did! :D 

  Yea... a pumpkin pie recipe in spring\summer? Haha. Who really cares though? Eat pumpkin pie in autumn, winter, spring and summer! :D

  But yes, they turned out perfect! AND they have no cane sugar. They are dairy free too, besides the butter... but you could probably substitute that for more lard, or perhaps coconut oil. Ooh, and another healthy trait- this recipe is made with wheat flour, and it tastes perfectly good still. :) 

   If you like pumpkin pie, I highly recommend trying this. :)

MINI PUMPKIN PIES

 FOR THE CRUST:

 1 3\4 cup wheat flour

 2 tsps coconut sugar

 3\4 tsp salt

 6 tbsp butter

 1\4 cup lard

 7-8 tbsp ice water *

 Mix together dry ingredients, then cut in butter and lard. Add ice water just until the dough all holds together. Don't overwork it. 

Grease muffin tins. (You'll need one 12 muffin tin) Break off small portions of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. Fit each rolled out piece into a muffin tin. Set in the refrigerator until the filling is ready.

 FOR THE FILLING:

 one 15 oz can of pumpkin

 3\4 cup coconut sugar

 1 tsp cinnamon

 1\2 tsp allspice

 1\2 tsp salt

 1\2 tsp nutmeg

 2 eggs

 1 1\2 cups of canned coconut milk**

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into unbaked crusts. (Use my pictures above to see how far to fill them.) There was extra filling when I made this, so I poured it into a bread pan for a crustless "pumpkin pie". :)

Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F for 55 minutes. Let cool for a bit before removing from muffin tins with a fork and cooling completely on a wire rack. 

Enjoy as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream! :)

* Probably any crust for a 9" pan would work

** I used the recipe printed on a can of pumpkin for this, and made some changes. ;) I had to kind of guess on the coconut milk, but I probably did less than the recipe said. That makes it more firm.The second time I made this I did 1 1\2 cups of it. The picture below is from the second time. Just add more milk if you like your pie less firm. :)

 I just love food photography! At least when the pictures look really nice. I even pulled off the picture of pouring the filling. :) Seriously awesome, food photography is. :)

Well, if you happen to try this, I hope you like it!