Pump it up!

I ran across these little jewels on Taste Spotting and had to try them out. What’s not to love about these…..they are bite-size and I can’t believe that Reese’s doesn’t make something like this in the fall….it would be marketing genius if you ask me!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups!

 

Here’s the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

12 oz. white baking chips….if you’re feeling rich use REAL white chocolate

1 Tbs non-trans fat shortening

1/4 cup low fat cream cheese

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

a shake of pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (7 sheets)

I think the filling will fill about 10-15 cups, so I doubled my filling recipe so I could make 24 and had a little left over that I spread on oatmeal cookies….I think it would also be good to dip apples in!

12 silicone or foil lined mini muffin cups or other small silicone cups or just the paper mini muffin cups set into a mini muffin pan

Melt white chocolate and shortening in the top of a double boiler over medium heat on the stove, stirring constantly until completely melted.  Remove from heat.

Using a small spoon, place about 3/4 of a teaspoon of the melted chocolate in a reusable silicone mini cup or into a foil lined mini muffin cup, tilt the cups to swirl the chocolate to cover as much as possible.  If necessary, use a paint brush to paint up the sides of the cups with extra chocolate.  The chocolate should be thick enough that you can not see through it.  You should have left over chocolate when all the cups are done.

Place the cups onto a tray and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until completely hardened.  Remove from freezer and peel the silicone or papers off of the hardened shells.  (This step may be completed days before filling!)

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, spices and the vanilla, whisk or beat until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and whisk until combined.  Stir in the graham cracker crumbs.

Using a small spoon, gently divide the mixture among the chocolate cups filling to just below the ridge.  Smooth the tops to create an even surface.
Re-heat the remaining melted white chocolate if necessary.  Spoon a small amount of melted chocolate over the smoothed filling surfaces, making sure the chocolate reaches all the way to the edges to seal the cups. 
Chill, to harden the tops.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. 

I made these on Tuesday night and took them to work with me on Wednesday….they were a hit and I’ll definitely be making them again.