So a few weeks ago when we received our products from Pillsbury, I had grand visions of all the magical things I could do with them. And then I used them up before I could try everything I had in my brain (and in my fridge). And then I couldn’t find any of the Pillsbury crescent roll sheets at my friendly neighborhood grocery stores (in the sticks), so I started thinking in another direction. I have a yummy, yummy crumb-topped apple pie, and I love pumpkin cheesecake, and the wheels in my brain started turning: what if I combined them? WHAT DREAMS MAY COME?!?
I wanted it to be more pumpkiny than cheesecakey, but I also wanted to avoid the ooky texture of pumpkin pie that weirds people out. So I modified this recipe to include more pumpkin. Instead of making a whole pie like I do with the apples, I decided to make individual tarts. And then I made mini tarts in a mini muffin pan as well as some in regular muffin tins. They’re both good and I think what you’d prefer is largely personal preference. It’s a lot like regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups with the whole chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio going on; if you’re a fan of the pumpkin filling, the bigger ones are for you. Like the crumb topping better? Go for the mini ones. Like both of them an awful lot? Make a pan of minis and a pan of regulars. No biggie.
One other thing–these things are infinitely better at least 24 hours after you make them. After these guys cool off, pop them in the fridge and forget about them until the next day. And for up to about 3 days, they only taste better and better the longer they hang out in the fridge. So make these ahead and make your life easy!
Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bites
Crumb Crust
2 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. uncooked regular oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
3/4 c. butter, melted
Combine flour, sugar, oats, salt, and nuts in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and combine with hands until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
For mini tarts, drop a generous teaspoon of mixture into each hole;
for cupcake-sized tarts, line a tin with foil cupcake liners and drop a generous tablespoon into each liner. Press down. 
Use leftover mixture to sprinkle on tarts before baking.
for cupcake-sized tarts, line a tin with foil cupcake liners and drop a generous tablespoon into each liner. Press down. Use leftover mixture to sprinkle on tarts before baking.Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling
1 small can pumpkin
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light works great), softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Sweetened whipped cream (optional, but not really… 🙂 )
Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and seasoning and mix completely. Spoon into prepared crust (1 Tbsp. for minis, 2 generous Tbsp. for regulars) 
and sprinkle with reserved topping. 
Bake at 350; for mini tarts, bake for about 15 minutes. For the regular tarts, bake closer to 20. If you’d like the crumb topping a little darker, you can turn the broiler on for a few minutes, but you have to keep a close eye on them because they will literally burn in a few seconds.
and sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake at 350; for mini tarts, bake for about 15 minutes. For the regular tarts, bake closer to 20. If you’d like the crumb topping a little darker, you can turn the broiler on for a few minutes, but you have to keep a close eye on them because they will literally burn in a few seconds.Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for at LEAST 24 hours. Run a knife around the edge of each tart to loosen and then gently pop out with the knife. Serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Makes 12 regulars and 24 minis or 2 pans of each.
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Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bites
- Yield: 12
Description
These pumpkin cream cheese bites are a must for fall weather.
Ingredients
Crumb Crust
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
- 1/2 c. uncooked regular oats
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- 3/4 c. butter, melted
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 small can pumpkin
- 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light works great), softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. allspice
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- Sweetened whipped cream (optional, but not really…)
Instructions
- For the Crust: Combine flour, sugar, oats, salt, and nuts in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and combine with hands until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- For mini tarts, drop a generous teaspoon of mixture into each hole; for cupcake-sized tarts, line a tin with foil cupcake liners and drop a generous tablespoon into each liner. Press down. Use leftover mixture to sprinkle on tarts before baking.
For the filling
- Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and seasoning and mix completely. Spoon into prepared crust (1 Tbsp. for minis, 2 generous Tbsp. for regulars)and sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake at 350; for mini tarts, bake for about 15 minutes. For the regular tarts, bake closer to 20. If you’d like the crumb topping a little darker, you can turn the broiler on for a few minutes, but you have to keep a close eye on them because they will literally burn in a few seconds.
- Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for at LEAST 24 hours. Run a knife around the edge of each tart to loosen and then gently pop out with the knife. Serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired.
These were so great…and addicting! The whipped cream just makes them over the top amazing. I found myself sneaking another bite sized treat every time I passed the fridge. Going to make them again for Thanksgiving!
I made 48 mini tarts and an 8 x 8 pan with the leftover crust (sparse) and filling….thinking I'll cut them into bars if I don't over bake them.
I had considered cutting this recipe in half because it sounded like it would fill way more than 24 mini but how do you cut 3 eggs in half do you add 2 or just 1?
Anyway I have these delish sounding tarts coming out of my ears. I sure hope they are tasty….to be continued.
Kathy
I'm in the middle of making these and also had alot of crumb topping left as well as a TON of filling..if its just supposed to make 12 reg. size cupcakes.(I will use the rest but want to make sure I didn't do anything wrong..)
They look soo yummy..this will be my contribution to a halloween chili feed/pumpkin carving get together!
I made these delicious little things yesterday. I confess, I didn't wait a whole 24 hours and they were pretty fantastic. But today I had one, and they were even better.
I just recently found this blog, and I am so happy I did!
What will happen if I DON'T refrigerate them for 24 hours?
Hi, Katie! I'm not sure–It's been a year since I've made them, so maybe I'll have to try whipping up a batch to see what happened. Dang it… 😉
I had a ton of extra filling and crumbs…what can I do with them? And what did I do wrong?
I have some in the oven right now and I think it is torture to have to wait a whole day to try them! I ran out of crust before I ran out of filling, though. I got 12 regular sized and 16 minis and probably could’ve finished out the minis if I would’ve gone easier on filling the crusts. Darn, I guess I’ll have to make these again!
Becky–The minis hold together great; I had some in the car while we went trick-or-treating and then took them to a party and they stayed together great (although they’re a lot better straight out of the fridge…) I’m not sure if they sell the mini cupcake liners in foil (I’m kind of thinking they do, but I could be totally off base), but they’ll hold together great either way. Happy pumpkining! 🙂
This is brilliant!! I can’t wait to try them. Do the minis hold together well? I’m signed up to bring pumpkin pie to a kindergarten party and want to bring these instead, but not if they crumble and fall apart easily. Or do they sell foil muffin cups in the mini size?
Oh, holy crap, Becky!!! Thanks so much for catching that! You’re right, it’s one cup! I hope no one made horrible sugarless treats!
I have these in the oven right now!! Can’t wait to try them! I did notice that there was sugar in the picture for the pumpkin mixture but not in the list of ingredients and it looks like it is 1 cup so thats what I added.
Oh mama! I am totally making these tomorrow. Yum!
I am probably one of the very few people that ever get to sample these recipes when they are actually made by you! So I feel like I am obligated to tell your readers that these not only look good and sound good, they TASTE good! Thanks for bringing them to the Halloween party, they were PERFECT.
Yum! I can’t wait to try these!! Thanks!
I am wondering if there is any sugar in the cream cheese filling. It seems like it would need some kind of sweetener.
I love your blog.
Lisa, of COURSE we don’t mind!! Thanks for the shout-out! 🙂
Heidi–Glad I could help out… 🙂
Amber, I totally bet you could halve the recipe; I almost did this time, but I decided to bring them to a party tomorrow. To cut the egg in half, you could just whisk one of the eggs like crazy and then measure out 2 tablespoons.
And yes, there’s serious overdose danger here. Not that I know from any firsthand experience… 😉
Yum, these look really good. Do you think it would still work if I half the recipe? How many eggs would you use, two? I’m afraid I would eat them all myself.
Excellent! I was formulating a similar idea in my head for a wedding shower I’m doing at the end of the month…thanks for working out the kinks for me! If you have any suggestions for mini quiches, I’d love to here them.
Wow! These look to yummy! I love pumpkin anything! Great blog…I have made a few things from your recipes and they have all turned out GREAT!
Stephanie
Yum, Yum, Yum! HOpe you don’t mind, but I am sending my friends your way via my latest post!
We aren’t nut loves, but I was wondering if graham crackers could work with it instead? I’d never thought of oatmeal before, that could be good.
I’ll for sure be trying these, and maybe even with the nuts. 😉
Mmm I can’t wait to make these. I know already that I will be a mini-tart kinda chick.
Patti–If you’re allergic to nuts, definitely leave them out; you could either add another 1/3 c. of oatmeal or you could just cut back on the butter by about 2 Tbsp. But if you just don’t love nuts, I won’t MAKE you put them in :), but I will say that you can hardly taste them, especially if you chop them up very finely. I’m really not a nut fan, especially plain walnuts and pecans because I don’t like the bitterness. But they’re really good here! 🙂
Woohoo! I found out what I’m making for a party tomorrow night! Thanks!
If nuts make you go nuts, do you just leave them out or do you need to substitute something for them? Otherwise, this looks mighty tasty!
I’m drooling!
Oooh, yum. You have outdone yourself this time! (ok, you do every time).
These look absolutely sinful and I will be making these soon!
Okay, I am printing this one off right now!