I created these easy pumpkin pie bites in partnership with Silk. All opinions are my own.
I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie. I love it so much that every December I bake at least one pumpkin pie. It’s my go-to. I usually stick to the same classic recipe that I grew up on, but I also love to try new things so when I heard about Silk’s new Cashewmilk I just had to try it for myself. You know how loyal I am to the Silk brand, so I wasn’t surprised that I LOVED their new Cashewmilk! And as soon as I tasted it, I immediately thought of using it instead of ice water in my regular pie crust recipe to give it a hint of nutty flavor. And since I was in the mood for a little change, I decided to switch up my pumpkin pies and rework them into trendy little mini pie bites. They turned out fabulous!
This recipe makes around 24 mini pies and will take you an hour from start to finish. Keep in mind that half that time is spent chilling dough, so you will only be in actual making mode for 30 minutes. Here is what you need:
- 1 cup cold Cashewmilk (original or unsweetened original)
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 can pumpkin (you can use pie filling if you wish)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sugar (for filling)
- whipped topping (optional)
The first thing you want to do is make your dough. To do this you will need to start with a medium sized bowl and combine your flour, sugar, salt and butter together and mix until you have a fine meal type texture. A lot of people do this with a food processor, but I use a pastry cutter or fork and do it by hand. Once that is finished add your Cashewmilk. Now, since I normally use ice water for this step I was a little cautious at first as to how it would go, but it turns out it fit in perfectly and didn’t alter the makeup of the dough at all! One thing I love about this new Cashewmilk is that it is creamier than skim milk with fewer calories. It’s also a great source of calcium and vitamin D, so swapping out your normal cow’s milk for it is a great choice!
So after adding your Cashwemilk go ahead and keep mixing until you have a doughy consistency. Form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for around 20 minutes. While that is chilling, clear off a large flat (clean) surface, sprinkle it with flour and grab a rolling pin. When the 20 minutes are up take it out of the fridge, plop it on your surface and roll out until you have a thin, smooth sheet. *You may have to rub on a little more flour throughout this step to discourage dough from sticking to your rolling pin.* Now, choose a circular cookie cutter that’s a little bit bigger around than the cups in your pan. I don’t have traditional cookie cutters for this so I just grabbed one of the kids cups and used it to cut out my circles with.
Now lay each circle into your tin so that it form a little “bowl” and then use a fork to poke holes in the bottoms and sides to aerate your dough while it cooks. Pop the whole ting in the oven for around 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Once they are a nice golden brown and a little fluffy take them out. They should look like this:
Now that you know how to create your pie crusts, I’m going to back up a little. While your crusts are in the oven, whip up your pumpkin mixture. To do this, combine your pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl, mix thoroughly and then set aside. You may want to add more or less of the spices depending on your preference. Okay, so now we can go back to where we were! Once your crusts are out, take a small spoonful of your filling mixture and drop into the crust, one by one until they are all full. You can do this step while they’re still in the pan or out, depending on your needs. If you are making these for a party, it’s easiest to keep them in the pan and then take them out when you are ready to serve.
Now all you have to do is add a tiny dollop of whipped cream and they are ready!
These mini pumpkin pies are super delicious, and the Cashwemilk really adds some great richness and nutty flavor to the crust that goes well with the rustic taste of pumpkin. Plus it’s so irresistibly great for you! Want to scoop some up for yourself? This brand new product is at select stores nationwide, and don’t forget to join Silk’s email newsletter to get in on coupons and savings!
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
