1-Step One: Prepare Your Equipment Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (191°C). This temperature ensures the crust bakes to golden perfection while the filling sets properly. Position your oven rack in the middle position for even heat distribution. Gather a mini muffin tin (or two, depending on size), a 3-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, and a rolling pin. Lightly grease the muffin tin cups with cooking spray or a thin layer of butter, even if your pan is non-stick, to guarantee easy release.

2-Step Two: Prepare the Crust If using store-bought pie crusts, let them’re pliable enough to unroll without cracking. For homemade crust, remove your discs from the refrigerator and let them warm slightly on the counter for 5-10 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, then roll the dough to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Using your 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as possible from each disc. You should get about 12 rounds per disc, yielding 24 mini pies. Re-roll scraps once if needed to cut additional rounds.

3-Step Three: Form the Mini Pie Shells Carefully press each dough round into a muffin cup, gently pushing it down into the bottom and up the sides. The dough should come up to the top rim of each cup. Don’t worry if the edges aren’t perfectly even a rustic look adds charm. If the dough tears slightly, simply press it back together with your fingers. Place the prepared muffin tin in the refrigerator while you make the filling; this brief chill helps the crust hold its shape during baking.

4-Step Four: Mix the Pumpkin Filling In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Add the heavy cream, whole milk, egg, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and black pepper if using. Whisk thoroughly until the mixture is completely smooth with no streaks of pumpkin or spices visible. The filling should have a uniform, creamy appearance. For the smoothest results, you can also use an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds.

5-Step Five: Fill the Pie Shells Remove the chilled muffin tin from the refrigerator. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, fill each dough-lined cup with about 1-2 tablespoons of filling. Fill each cup nearly to the top, leaving just a small border at the rim. The filling will puff slightly during baking but shouldn’t overflow. Work efficiently but carefully to avoid drips between the cups, which can make the pies stick.

6-Step Six: Bake to Golden Perfection Place the filled muffin tin on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 21-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even browning. The mini pies are done when the filling is set with slightly puffed edges, and the crust is lightly golden brown around the edges. A slight jiggle in the very center is normal and will firm up during cooling. Avoid overbaking, as this can cause cracks in the filling.

7-Step Seven: Cool and Serve Remove the tin from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let the mini pies cool in the pan for 10 minutes this resting period allows the filling to finish setting and makes removal much easier. After 10 minutes, carefully run a thin knife around the edge of each pie to loosen any stuck spots. Gently lift each pie out using the knife or a small offset spatula. Transfer to the wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled, optionally topped with whipped cream.