Mini Autumnal Pumpkin Pies 🎃

With autumn coming up I decided it was time to get baking ready for the cosy weather. After really liking the flavour of the pumpkin cupcakes I made previously on my blog I thought I would try to make mini pumpkin pies.  Every recipe I look at was rather different so I decided to mesh together a couple of recipes I had seen.

Ingredients:

• 400g Ready Made Pastry
• 250g Canned Pumpkin 
• 1 Large Egg
• 40g Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2tsp Fresh Nutmeg
• 1/2tsp Cinnamon
• 140ml Double Cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use a round cutter to cut circles larger than the dimension of the holes in a 12 hole deep muffin tin (we use a 9 inch cutter) Gently place the cut out pastry round onto the hole in the tin and press into the shape (using a spare ball of pastry works really well for this) Repeat until all 12 holes in the muffin tin are lined with pastry. Chill until required.
3. Whisk the egg gently in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Combine the cream, spices and muscovado sugar into a saucepan and heat until just simmering, stirring all the time. Pour the cream mixture over the eggs and whisk well until blended. Stir in the pumpkin purée until well combined. Transfer to a jug before pouring the filling into your mini pastry cases.
5. Place into the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Once the pies are in the oven use any leftover pastry to cut out any desired pattern for the top of the pies (I used little acorn cutters)  Once the pies have cooked for 8 minutes the top should be set enough to hold the weight of the pastry leaf cut out. Place this on top of the pies (I also egg washed the top to get them nice and golden) and quickly place back into the oven. Cook for a further 18 minutes before removing from the oven.

This was my first attempt at ever making pumpkin pie so they look a little rustic but they taste delicious! Other recipes finished them off with cream cheese but I liked the little pastry acorns! Let me know if you give them a go!