Pumpkin Pie Mini Cupcakes

Love this time of year, don't you? It is autumn in the Ozarks and I am ready for some good ole pumpkin pie mini cupcakes or Pumpkin Pie Bites as found on this great site, http://bakerella.com/ . I can't wait to make these scrumptious looking mini morsels! They would be excellent for brunch or tasting/cocktail parties or Thanksgiving when you are just too full for anything else, but always have room for one more tiny, little bite! Make sure you have a mini muffin tin before you get started and remember...life is way too short, so eat dessert first!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

Ingredients:

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust.

You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.

Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray.

(Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)

Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.

Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust.

Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Optional: Decorate with black icing for Halloween faces!
Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.