Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Cookies Recipe

While roast turkey may be Thanksgiving's signature dish, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie follow close behind in the pantheon of holiday favorites. Developer Kate Shungu combines both pumpkin pie filling and cranberries in these seasonal cookies ... or are they mini tarts? Either way, Shungu says, "These bite-sized desserts are such a fun take on pumpkin pie."

These two-bite sweets would be perfect for supplementing a Thanksgiving dessert buffet or bringing to a pre- or post-holiday cookie exchange. Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce often show up at Christmas dinner, as well, so these cookie-tarts can span the seasons abd work for multiple holidays. Shungu even suggests serving them as a sweet Thanksgiving appetizer: "Serve them on your prettiest platter and watch everyone's eyes light up," she says. After all, at a meal where sweet potatoes come topped with marshmallows, there's no need to keep to strict rules about serving savory foods before sweet ones.

The dough for the tart shells is made of cream cheese, butter, and all-purpose flour, while the filling combines pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. You'll also need fresh cranberries, heavy cream, and vanilla extract for the garnish.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour and mix on medium speed to create a dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour

While the dough is chilling, place ½ cup water and ½ cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Remove from the heat and add the cranberries. Let the cranberries steep for 10 minutes.

Drain the cranberries and place them on a sheet of wax paper to dry for 30 minutes.

Place ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl and toss the cranberries gently to coat. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Roll the chilled dough into 24 one-inch balls. Place one ball in each cup of a miniature muffin tin.

Press the dough evenly against the bottom and the sides of each muffin cup.

Place the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, ¼ cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth.

Divide the pumpkin mixture among each muffin cup.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

When the bites are cool, place the heavy cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.

Place a dollop of whipped cream on top of each pumpkin pie bite and top with a sugared cranberry (or two). Serve.

It's best to take your butter and cream cheese out of the fridge before you begin baking so they can warm up to room temperature. In the stressful days leading up to Thanksgiving, though, sometimes we just forget stuff. That's okay, since there are several shortcuts that will allow you to soften both ingredients up in a hurry. One way to do so is by chopping both the butter and cheese into chunks. Warm the chunks in a microwave on the defrost power setting for about 30 seconds, turning them over halfway through.

If you're not sure how to set your microwave to defrost or don't trust it not to melt your butter and cheese, you can also grate or pound the ingredients to soften them. Yet another softening method involves a sort of bain-marie technique: Put the butter and cheese in a bowl and then fit the bowl over another bowl or pan filled with water heated to a simmer. If the pan is still on the stove, turn off the burner before adding the bowl with the butter and cheese. The gentle, indirect heat should allow your ingredients to soften without melting.

If you're in a rush to make these cookies at the last minute, you can skip the step of making your own dough. Refrigerated pie crust will work just as well, and you could even use pre-made mini tart shells, graham cracker crusts, or phyllo cups. In a pinch, you can also use canned pumpkin pie filling. If you're making your own filling, you can replace the pumpkin puree with mashed sweet potatoes or put together a DIY pumpkin pie spice blend focusing on the flavors you like — leave out the cloves if you don't care for them, add extra ginger, or sprinkle in some black pepper or cayenne to give it a kick.

You also don't have to make homemade whipped cream to top the tarts since the aerosol kind is a time-honored Thanksgiving tradition in many households. If you do make your own, you can flavor the cream with a smidgen of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice. If you're using the canned stuff, sprinkle the spice over the top for a similar effect. Crushed pecans would also be a tasty topping and would help bring a third Thanksgiving flavor into the fold.