Have you noticed that there’s something about Fall that makes people want to cook? Probably more like bake, but you get what I’m getting at. Anyway, I’ve been kinda the opposite. Not really wanting to cook, trying to get out of making dinner just out of laziness. I get in these ruts sometimes. The other night, my husband wanted a treat. Honestly though, that happens almost every night, so it was not really any different. I did, however, have a treat in mind that I’d been wanting to try out, but didn’t want to make it at night because of the lack of decent lighting to take pictures. I’d really like to get better at taking “in-progress” pictures for the recipes, but I’m usually just a mess and don’t think about it until way after the fact. At least I take pictures before we eat everything, which let me tell you, that’s a feat in and of itself!

Anyway, so I made a treat. I combined a pumpkin pie recipe and cookie recipe, both with a few slight mods, and turned them into one adorable recipe. Oh, I love me anything in a mini size, don’t you? The best thing about mini foods is that you don’t feel as guilty when you eat 13 at a time. Because 13 minis is really only like 1.5 regulars, right? I might be a little off on my math, but we’ll just go with that.

I’m thinking I should invest in a second mini muffin pan so that I can double this recipe and wind up with 48 tarts and 4 custards. Because that’s not excessive or anything. But since this recipe only uses half a can of pumpkin, it only makes sense to double it and have a crap ton of yummies laying around, right? Or maybe I should just have a party? Or bring them to neighbors? Or just eat them?

Ok, so these little tarts are a little different than you might expect. The “crust” isn’t flaky or crumbly, it’s not like a pie crust at all. Since it’s based on a cookie recipe, it’s deliciously chewy and accents the soft, creamy pie filling just right. I prefer to eat these chilled, while Rob likes them warm out of the oven. If you like pumpkin pie warm, you definitely need to wait for these to cool a bit before you eat them so they have time to firm up a bit and aren’t too runny inside. Also, be careful removing them from the pan, so they come out in one piece. And if you’re so inclined, top them with some whipped coconut cream (or the real whipped cream if you’re a dairy eater). Out of all the holiday pies, pumpkin is my super favorite and I’m so glad to have a paleo version of it now.