Pumpkin pie easily makes my top ten favorite desserts list. It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve decided to make a whole new dessert inspired by this favorite. This past month we had a group of friends over to hangout. We provided a variety of nibbles but no sit down meal. I wanted to make pumpkin pie, but didn’t want to have to bring out plates and silverware. This is when the pumkpin pie bite was born. A few tweeks to my favorite pumpkin pie recipe, and voilá here you have it. Now, everyone can enjoy with no mess left behind.
Now, for even more good news: there are some serious nutrient powerhouses in this dessert, so you can enjoy and share knowing you’re getting some benefit from each bite.
Let’s talk spice!
CINNAMON: Who doesn’t love cinnamon? This superfood is great in everything from chai lattes to my seasonal sangria and pumpkin chili. It’s a good thing too because cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants, such as polyphenols. In fact, in a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, even outranking “superfoods” like garlic and oregano. It also just happens to be anti-inflammatory and insulin regulatory. Not to mention the smell of it brings all the holiday feelings.
GINGER: What’s not to love? This powerhouse of a spice has been shown to be a powerful cancer fighter, even having shown to outperform cancer drugs (the power of food as medicine, my friends). Ginger also contains anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols, which make it an amazing beneficial tool for various inflammatory-related health conditions.
NUTMEG: This spice has long been used as a home remedy for insomnia due its high magnesium content. It’s also loaded with myristicin and elemicin, which fight inflammation and pain. Some researchers even believe that these compounds slow down the deterioration of neural pathways in the brain. Sounds like a win-win to me.
CLOVES: This spice is warming and aromatic addition to any dish (especially pumpkin pie). And along with the appealing flavor and smell, cloves also provide eugenol, a compound that protects against external toxins found in the environment, like carbon tetrachloride. Clove is also rich in antioxidants and is even antimicrobial.
On to the recipe!
Enough about spice, let’s get baking. Here’s my recipe for pumpkin pie bites. They’re the perfect treat to bring to a party or get together. No silverware or plates needed! Plus, this recipe will make 24 bites because no one wants to be left out this holiday season. Enjoy!!
pumpkin pie bites (GF, NF)
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 regular sized muffin sheet (you’ll need 2 or you’ll have to make 2 batches) plus baking cups
for the crusts:
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 c coconut oil, melted
- 2 TB maple syrup
- 1 TB organic vanilla
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
for the filling:
- 2 cups fresh roasted organic pumpkin*
- 1/2 cup packed blonde coconut sugar
- 3 TB pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup raw whipping cream OR the cream** from 2 cans of full fat coconut milk
- 4 pastured eggs
*You can sub 1 (15 oz) can of organic pumpkin purée, but I recommend roasting your own pumpkin because it’s just. so. good.
**JUST the cream. Put your cans in the fridge for at least an hour before opening (do not shake) and then use a spoon to scoop the cream out (should come to 1 cup)
WHAT YOU DO:
for the crusts:
- preheat oven to 325F and fill 2 muffin sheets (24 total holes) with muffin papers
- in a medium bowl, mix flours and salt together
- melt coconut oil and mix with maple syrup and vanilla
- make a well in the center of your flour mixture, and pour in liquid mixture
- stir by hand until the mixture is smooth (it’ll be runny until water is added)
- pour in the water and stir with hands until thickened
- press about 2 TB into each muffin tin so that it goes up the sides (like lots of miniature pie tins)
- poke each with a fork to prevent bubbles
- bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is just slightly golden
for filling:
- as your crusts cool, it’s time to make the filling
- set your oven to 400 degrees
- blend pumpkin, coconut sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a food processor or Vitamix until smooth
- move mixture to a pot set to low heat and stir until warm
- if you are using coconut milk, use a hand mixer to blend the coconut cream until thick and extra creamy, about 1 min (raw cream needs no whipping)
- add your cream to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined and bubbling, then remove from heat
- in a medium bowl, whip your eggs until combined
- add pumpkin mixture to eggs and stir with a spatula until creamy and fully combined
- pour pumpkin filling bit by bit into each crust until they are all full (but not too full that they are spilling over – leave 1/8 inch at the top of each so they can be lifted out to cool
- bake your pies for 18 minutes or until only the very center jiggles when you gently shake the pie
- let them cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then move them one at a time to a cooling rack to cool all the way
- ENJOY!! Store these in the fridge for up to 5 days (they get better each day)
Happy holidays, my friends! Cheers to a lovely holiday season filled with the things that matter most (hint: black friday is not one of them).
♡ Laura
HI!
Does it have to be blonde coconut sugar?
Thanks,
Michelle
Thanks for checking! You can use any coconut sugar. That’s just the brand I like. Enjoy 🙂
These are fabulous! The recipe halved well and I used regular coconut sugar since I didn’t have any blonde coconut sugar. The only other change was that I used an equivalent amount of pumping pie spice, rather than the individual spices. At first I wasn’t sure that the custard was quite sweet enough, but the mild sweetness developed nicely in the fridge. My non-paleo, pie-eating family made serious in-roads on my halved recipe even though they had their own pie!!! This will definitely stay in the Thanksgiving rotation!!!
This makes me so happy! Glad you and your family enjoyed the bites. Happy holidays!