GretchRuns Thanksgiving : Part 1 [Dessert]

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hardly ever post on the weekend, but I'm going to be starting a series in November to share some Thanksgiving recipes.  I love to experiment in the kitchen, so I thought it would be fun to try out some holiday-themed recipes and pins, and share the result with all of you.

Today I'm starting out with desserts, since they're my favorite, and I'll also share side dishes, appetizers, drinks and decorations.  I'm really excited for this series and I hope that you all enjoy it!

To kick things off, I'm going to share a dessert that I made for a volunteer appreciation dinner at the Humane Society.  I wanted to make something that's easy to eat and also really tasty.  I also wanted to have options for everyone, so I decided to make mini pies!  Who doesn't love mini food?

I chose four different mini pies, and played around with the recipes to make 8 of each kind of pie.  I used Trader Joe's pie crust, and found that one crust was the perfect amount for one recipe.  I used a regular muffin tin, and used a Starbucks "You Are Here" mug, which has a very wide circumference, to cut out circles.  The four pies that I chose were apple, cherry, pumpkin, and a chocolate brownie pie.  You could do this method with your favorite pie recipe- just prepare as usual and divide the mixture between mini pie crusts.  Done!

Mini Pie #1 : Apple

adapted from pillsbury.com
2 apples, cored, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut out 6 circles from the pie dough.
Spray pan with nonstick spray and place pie shells in pan.
In medium bowl, stir together apples, sugar, flour, spice and vanilla. 
Divide mixture evenly among crust-lined muffin cups.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mixture is bubbly.

Mini Pie #2 : Cherry

adapted from pillsbury.com
1 cup canned cherry pie filling
1 egg, separated
sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut out 6 circles from the pie dough.
Spray pan with nonstick spray and place pie shells in pan.
Spoon filling into each mini pie. (don't fill the crust all the way, or it will bubble over like mine!)
If you want to be fancy, use extra dough to create lattice on top of the pies, or cut out designs.
Apply egg whites to lattice or dough designs (if used) and sprinkle sugar on top.
Bake for 14-18 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mixture is bubbly.

Mini Pie #3 : Pumpkin

adapted from bakerella.com

2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg, separated

splash vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut out 6 circles from the pie dough.
Spray pan with nonstick spray and place pie shells in pan.
Apply egg whites to the top edges of each pie, save remaining white.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, egg yolk and remaining egg white, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each mini pie.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set.

Mini Pie #4 : Candy Bar Brownie

adapted from eclecticrecipes.com
1 box brownie mix (plus ingredients listed)
6 Hershey Kisses

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut out 6 circles from the pie dough.
Spray pan with nonstick spray and place pie shells in pan.
Mix brownie batter according to package directions and place a spoonful in each shell (you'll have leftovers).
Place a kiss (or any other mini candy) on top of each mini pie.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until set.