Have you ever made miniature pies? I love the idea, but not the work involved in cramming tiny pie crust into tiny muffin tins. About six months ago there were about 312 dainty little chocolate cream pies with tiny dollops of coconut whipped cream that put me off this whole sub-class of baked good forever. Total pain - take my word for it.
So I was thinking...I bet Susan V's crustless pumpkin pie would make a perfect bite-sized Thanksgiving treat. And they do. The simple spiced pumpkin batter cooks beautifully in either a regular sized muffin pan or a mini one. Plus, they puff up in the oven and then deflate as they cool leaving a perfect little crevice to cradle some caramel-y-molasses-coated toasted pecans. (Or without the nuts, serve as the best treat for a small child ever.) Perfect. Also, you should know that these are moderately healthy as far as dessert goes, and crazy easy. Happy Thanksgiving.
Mini Pumpkin Pies with Sticky Pecans
Makes 48 tiny pies (mini muffin pan) or 24 small pies (regular muffin pan)
pie:
- 1 3/4 cups soy milk
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15-ounce can)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
topping:
- 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 tablespoon black strap molasses
Heat the oven to 350, and grease your muffin pans well.
In a blender, whiz together the first four ingredients until combined and frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and puree until completely smooth.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full, and bake until the edges are browned. This will take about 25 minutes for mini muffin pans or about 35 minutes in a full size muffin pan.
While the pies are baking, mix the pecans with the brown rice syrup and molasses.
Let the pies cool completely (an hour or two on the counter or overnight in the fridge) before spooning on pecan topping. (Spray a teaspoon with cooking spray to make your sticky pecans stick to the spoon less and the pie more.) And serve.
