Thanksgiving Pie Tarts – Individual pumpkin pie, pecan pie and sweet potato pie tarts that will each serve 1-4 people. This is a fun recipe that looks impressive and will allow everyone to enjoy a lighter, more elegant twist on classic Thanksgiving desserts! Disclaimer: I was compensated for taking part the Thanksgiving Table Program from Whole Foods and Kitchen PLAY. As always, all opinions are my own.
I have always been an indecisive person, especially when it comes to food. I like having options but I want to taste everything. Holiday parties are always a struggle for me. And Thanksgiving is the most challenging holiday of them all.
You know what I’m talking about. That massive, gorgeous, colorful spread of food. The overwhelming savory smells of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, sweet potatoes… I try to take a tiny portion of everything yet by the time
I’ve made my way across the table my plate is about to break from the weight of it all. Forget about leaving room for dessert!
Ah, dessert. I don’t know about your family but mine goes all out when it comes to Thanksgiving desserts. I always walk up to the dessert table with a sense of both desire and dread. Can I possibly eat anything else?
On the flip side, will I be able to try everything? I’m usually the person that walks away with tiny slivers of each pie and cake that are very difficult to eat or properly enjoy. And this is why I came up with the idea for Thanksgiving Pie Tarts.
Why get stuck with tiny slivers of pie every year? Each of these “pie” tarts (pumpkin, sweet potato and pecan) could be a single serving dessert or provide perfect small portions for 2-4 people. They’re thinner and lighter than their pie counterparts.
It’s the perfect solution for the indecisive diner like me. It’s also a great option if you’re having a small Thanksgiving gathering but want to offer more than one dessert option.
I was very excited to partner with Kitchen PLAY and Whole Foods Market for their Thanksgiving Table Program. I’ve been a Whole Foods shopper for years and I love working with their products. To me, good recipes are all about high quality ingredients and I know that when I work with Whole Foods Market products I will achieve the desired results.
For these Thanksgiving Pie Tarts I used Whole Foods Market 365 Brand Pecans, Unsalted Butter, All Purpose Flour and Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin. A few notes about dough:
- Roll the dough very thin. These are small tarts so you want as much room for filling as possible!
- The key to working with homemade tart dough is to keep it chilled. If you try to roll it out or place it in the oven while it’s at room temperature the dough will shrink. And dough can warm up quickly when rolling it out for tarts. Keep an eye on it. If it becomes elastic and starts to shrink back in while you’re rolling it, don’t worry. Simply cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until it’s cold again.
- It’s also very important to chill the dough once it has been rolled into the tart molds before baking them. Otherwise the dough can shrink down in the mold and leave very little room for the filling.
- Before baking the dough you want to use a fork to prick tiny holes in the bottom, as seen in the photo above. This is known as docking and will prevent air bubbles from forming while baking. Also, adding dried beans weighs down the dough and also helps prevent air bubbles.
Thanksgiving Pie Tarts
Ingredients
Pate Brisee Tart Dough:
- 12 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 ounces unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup ice cold water
Pecan Pie Filling:
- 1/2 large egg, beaten (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 cup pure maple syrup
- 2/3 cup pecans coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie filling!)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Sweet Potato Pie Filling:
- 1/2 large egg, beaten (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Prepare the tart dough:
- Add flour, butter and salt into a food processor
- Pulse on and off until the mixture is crumbly.
- Slowly add the water with the machine running just until the dough forms a ball.
- Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly dusting a clean surface with flour, roll the dough as thin as possible and then gently roll into tart molds. Re-roll the dough as needed so there is enough for all 6 tart molds. Chill the tarts for 30 minutes and then use a fork to poke numerous holes into the bottom of the dough (this is known as docking and will prevent air bubbles). Place the tarts on a baking sheet. Line the tart shells with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans. Bake the dough for 20 minutes, removing the beans and foil for the last 5 minutes. Allow to cool while preparing the other ingredients.
Prepare the tarts:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk one egg and divide the mixture in half to use in the pecan pie filling and sweet potato filling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the pecan pie filling. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling.
- In a food processor, puree the ingredients for the sweet potato pie filling.
- Place the baked tart shells on a baking sheet. Each of the 3 pie fillings makes enough for 2 tarts (for a total of 6 tarts). Briefly stir each pie filling with a spatula in case separation has occurred and then divide each mixture into the 6 tart pans.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 23 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the tart molds.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Ruthy @ Omeletta says
Jen, I love these! Especially that tiny little pecan pie. I loove pie, but we usually skip making one at Thanksgiving since everyone fills up on the savory stuff and the desserts get neglected. But this is the perfect way to make everyone a winner :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love these tarts, such an elegant alternative to pie!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Beautiful tarts for Thanksgiving, Jen! I’m like you…I enjoy a little bit of everything. Thanks for sharing!
carrie@bakeaholicmama says
Gorgeous tarts! I love a little taste of everything, this is a great way to do it!
sowmya says
Wow, these sound heavenly and perfect for a celebration.
Dina says
they look yummy!
vanillasugarblog says
Heavenly.
I love making little pies and little tarts; they just bake better and you can individually kick each one up a notch or not.
I saw your post on Instagram and had to come over
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
These tarts are SO cute and so perfect for holiday entertaining!!
Rachel @thedessertchronicles says
I love this idea! I just bought mini tart pans this weekend and was thinking how cute it would be to serve individual mini tarts or pies. Thanks for sharing this!
Valerie says
I love tartlets, they’re edible and personal. All three look amazing!!
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
Jennifer, I still think you have some of the best photography on the food blog block, girl! Stunning!
Tieghan says
This is such a great idea! I love having options!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
These tarts look amazing! I especially love the one with pecan filling – it looks so impressive!
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today says
It looks awesome. I do not celebrate thanksgiving, but will make it as a nice middle week treat :D
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
I’m with you on this. It’s hard to choose just one dessert. I love this idea.