Pumpkin Pielets [Week 7 of 12 Weeks of Cookies]

I know that these are not exactly a cookie.  But with my whole Thanksgiving-themed week, I needed something that would be both Thanksgiving recipe and cookie.  That is how pumpkin pielets were born.  These cute little pies are to give away as a favor as your guests are leaving your Thanksgiving meal.  I had visions of having them in a cute basket, in cute clear bags with fall colored plaid ribbon tied around them with a tag reading thankful.  They were only visions, it was more like they were shoved in a clear bag and tied with the closest thing that I could find, some plain raffia with no tag.  It is the thought that counts right?  Now you have the opportunity to see my vision come to life.  If you do, please send me a picture.  I would love to see it.

I got this idea from this cute little blog called Joy the Baker.  I am sure that you know who I am talking about.  Joy is adorable.  She bakes a lot.  I really want to find her a nice boyfriend.  Turns out I am an excellent matchmaker.  Two of my matches have resulted in marriage.  Just sayin’.  I saw this Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart recipe and thought that it would be the perfect thing to give my friends as they were exiting my Thanksgiving soiree.  I saw these cute little pie molds at Williams-Sonoma and almost bought them.  I even went so far as to go to the store and then decided to save my $19.  I don’t need a pie mold to make a mini pie.  I knew that I could make something cuter anyway.  And if you ask me, I did.

I know what you are thinking.  Why make one more thing to give away after a gigantic Thanksgiving meal?  You are right.  Sometimes I am nuts.  I have no problem admitting that sometimes I like to add more work to an already large job.  But these are so cute I had to share with you.  You could also use a premade pie crust.  Or even a pie filling.  Some apple butter would be delicious.  Make an extra half recipe of the Grand Marnier Pecan Pie filling, you are making it anyway, right?

a double recipe of pie crust or premade pie crust (the kind you unroll)

filling:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar

1 egg
2 teaspoons water

sanding sugar

I did not follow Joy’s instructions.  I was a bad girl and skimmed over the recipe and skipped this part, but you should follow her suggestion.  In a small saucepan heat the pumpkin and spices over medium heat.  It will enhance the flavors.  I did not do this and these pielets were still delicious, but I can imagine that the spices would be spicier if I did what I was supposed to. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, salt, and sugar.

Roll out your pie crust fairly thin.  I used a 3 inch biscuit cutter, but you could use a glass or a cute cookie cutter.

Put the bottoms on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Put about a Tablespoon of filling on top.  Resist the urge to overfill these.  The filling will just urge out the sides.

Make an egg wash by whisking together the egg and water.  Brush the edges with the egg wash to act like glue.  Using a fork, press down to seal the edges.  Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake the pumpkin pielets in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  The pies will be golden brown and adorable.

Even though these ended up not being what I envisioned, they are still pretty cute.  I would be happy to take these home.

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