Pumpkin Pie Cups

Pumpkin.Pumpkin.Pumpkin.

 That seems to be what everyone has on the brain since pumpkin recipes are becoming very frequent on all of the food sites. I love both the taste of pumpkin and their appearance; we are selling at least 5 different types of squashes at work and all of them look completely different.

Some Turban Squashes from work: My favorite.

   Pumpkin is the most popular pie flavor when the air starts getting chilly and the holiday decorations make their appearances in the stores. {Side note: Can you believe that before October 1st hit,some stores we went to were already putting up Christmas trees and getting rid of all the thanksgiving decorations? It's crazy!} When it comes to pie, my main picks are buttermilk, pumpkin, sweet potato,and my aunt's chocolate chip pecan pie. Except I'm not a big fan of the crust. I usually leave the edge crust for my dogs as a snack and when I eat buttermilk pie, I just scoop up the custard without eating any of the crust. Plus making the perfect buttery, flaky crust for holiday pies can be a pain, very time consuming, and only a few of the store bought crusts can pass as homemade.

 This dessert is extremely simple the whip up, portion controlled, and tastes delicious which is why this recipe is great to have on hand for the holidays and any other time you crave pumpkin pie. I gave my dad a piece of one pie cup when they were at room temperature before I had put them in the fridge to chill and he loved it! Pie, cheesecake, and brownies are among his top favorite dessert so I might even try making mini pumpkin cheesecakes. He said that this is one of the best desserts I've made and even better than the pumpkin roll cake which was a hit at Thanksgiving. So If you have a house full of pumpkin pie fans, you may need to make a double batch.

Pumpkin Pie Cups

Recipe: The Baker Chick's Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

12 cups

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
15 oz pumpkin puree (1 can)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup half & half*

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or silicone liners. *If you use paper liners, lightly spray them with non-stick spray (I used coconut oil spray.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugars, and vanilla. Add in the eggs and half and half until everything is well combined.
4. Slowly, add in the dry mixture into the pumpkin mix until no flour is visible.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into each muffin tin until the liners are 3/4 of the way full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan. (**see notes) The pies will sink when they cool so don't worry.
7. These are okay at room temp but they are even better if you chill the cups for a few hours before serving.
Top with whipped cream or powder sugar before serving.

Notes:
*If you don't have half & half then try heavy cream, but I don't know if regular or non-dairy milk will work well since they are thinner than half & half.

** When I went to remove the cooled cups from the tin, some water had formed at the bottom of the tin and the desserts came right out of the liners when removed from the pans so I easily took off the liners before chilling the cups.