A Favorite Of Mine!

Good Afternoon! I thought that I would just share a favorite dessert recipe of mine! I received this recipe from a friend's Aunt, and I made it for my family around Christmas time and they loved it as well...it really is an easy recipe to make! I would however make a few changes...I will add what I would do differently at the end of the recipe, and you can decide on how you would like to make them.

SPICED PUMPKIN TARTLETS

1 Pkg (15oz) Refrigerated pie crusts
1 Jar (9oz) Pumpkin butter
1 1/2 cup Whipped topping
1 box (3.4oz instant cheesecake pudding mix)
1/4 C. Chopped pecans

Let pie crust stand at room temperature for 15 minutes unroll pie crust into circles. using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter. cut out 12 circles (9 from out edge, 3 from center) from each crust. Press 1 circle into each cup of a mini-muffin pan. Prick bottom of pastry. Bake 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Fold together pumpkin butter & whipped topping in bowl and whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix, whisk until smooth & thickened. Pipe pumpkin mixture into tart shells. Sprinkle pecans over tarts. Keep Refrigerated 

***NOTES***

I was not able to find any pumpkin butter in the stores so I made my own and it turned out fantastic! I will include that recipe here as well. Again, a very simple and easy recipe...although it yields mor than what you need for this recipe, it's always good on toast!

For the crusts I did use the Pillsbury, but found that they baked to fast...so next time I'm going to use a different crust and I will also include that recipe here.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree

3/4 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving. You can also put this in a jar and seal it for later use!

MINI TART CRUSTS

2 cups margarine

4 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese

4 cups all-purpose flour

In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine and cream cheese until well blended. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Roll into small balls, and press into the bottoms and sides of tart pans or mini muffin pans.

I hope that you will try these recipes and enjoy them as much as I did!