1 (9-inch) pie crust, homemade or store-bought (frozen)
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup condensed milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Whipped cream, for topping
Directions
If using a store-bought pie crust, defrost according to package directions (1.5-2 hours).
Roll the pie dough into a large circle approximately 1/8-inch thick, and refrigerate while working on the next few steps. If the dough cracks, roll it into a ball, refrigerate for a few minutes, and then roll out.
Preheat oven at 375 F.
Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl. You will use 1 teaspoon in the custard, and have some left over.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, condensed milk, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin spice blend, and salt. Add egg and whisk into smooth and even mixture. Set aside.
Use a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 9 circles of dough. Use any scrap pieces of pie crust to cut out small pieces for garnish on top. You can ball up and re-roll the dough if needed, and refrigerate it if it gets too warm and difficult to cut.
Gently press each pie dough circle into each cavity of a standard 12-cup muffin pan and snugly fit it in. It will cover up to half of the height of each cavity (it will not completely come up to the top). You will fill 9 cavities. Do not over stretch the pie crust to maintain even thickness. Then, use a fork to pleat the edges of the crust.
Add about 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin filling into each pie crust, filling it about 3/4 of the way up to the top of the crust. Do not overfill as the filling will expand during baking. If you have small shapes that you cut out from the scraps, you can place them on top, very carefully as they may sink. You may want to place them on top a few minutes into the baking process, instead.
Transfer the muffin pan into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until the crust is lightly golden brown and the pumpkin filling is set. Turn off the oven and leave the muffin pan inside for another 30 minutes to let the pies cool off slowly and avoid cracking.
Serve the mini pumpkin pies warm or cold. Gently remove the mini pumpkin pies from the cavities and top with whipping cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice blend or cinnamon.