Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets

Who doesn’t want an individual pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving Dinner? These tartlets are the answer with their sweet/savory graham cracker crust and chai spiced pumpkin filling. Unique, elegant, and memorable! Check out my recipe for Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets below!

Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets

Ok, confession time again (on a side note, these Thanksgiving posts have brought out a lot of confessions! I apparently have a lot of guilty secrets when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner).

Ok, this confession may be the worst, I don’t know. But when I throw a big Thanksgiving dinner, I have been known to just buy a pumpkin pie at Costco. I mean, they’re $6! And they’re so good!

Honestly, one year, I tried to make a homemade pumpkin pie. I roasted the pumpkin, made a pie crust, made little pie cut outs of leaves to put on top to make it fancy–I did the whole shebang. First, it didn’t come out looking that great. I hadn’t used the right amount of pie weights and the crust slipped. Once that was salvaged, I made the rest of the pie. When I bit into it I thought–this tastes just like Costco! So choices were made after that.

I will make an exception for these delicious little Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets though. They have a graham cracker crust, so we’re already starting on the right side of easy.

But there’s something so cute about getting an individual pie just for you at the end of the Thanksgiving meal! It also keeps the door open to having a few desserts, which is win/win.

The pumpkin pie part of the dessert is really creamy and delicious. It all gets mixed in one bowl. Then the chai spice adds a nice surprise. It gives a little unexpected spice that feels elegant yet traditional.

My Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets are the perfect way to end my Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu! They bring the sophistication and romanticism to your dinner in the best way. Now you can relax by the fire with your loved ones–your work here is done!

How I Make My Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets

I love a graham cracker crust–I’m not huge on pie dough. So, yes, you could go to the trouble of making these with a pie dough then roll out and cut into circles and fit into each muffin space, but why? Graham cracker is so delicious and so easy!

So start these delicious tartlets by making a graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven and prepare the muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter, and salt. You can crush the graham crackers in a food processor or just with a little aggression in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. I always choose the way that counts as free therapy. Once the mixture comes together, it will resemble wet sand.

Press about a tablespoon and a half into each muffin tin. You want to use a little pressure here to make the crust stick together, otherwise it will fall apart with the tartlets. A small measuring cup works perfectly for this.

Now it’s time to bake the crust. Bake for 5-6 minutes until it’s starting to brown. Set aside and let cool.

Moving on to the pumpkin pie layer. In a medium size bowl mix together all of the pumpkin pie ingredients! That’s the pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), cream, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, chai spice, and salt.

Use a spoon to help fill up the muffin cups with the pumpkin pie mixture to about 3/4 full. Then it goes in the oven for 20 minutes! You’re looking for the pumpkin pie layer to be set, not jiggly. Then pull them out and let them cool in the muffin pan.

You can dust these with a bit more chai spice. If you’re feeling fancy, try some homemade whipped cream on top! This could be a bourbon whipped cream if you’re feeling naughty or a chai spiced one if you’d like to drive that idea home. I ate my plain–delicious no matter what!

These little tartlets make such a statement on the Thanksgiving table. I think they allow people to feel like they have the go ahead to try a bunch of desserts and not feel confined by the fact that they are definitely having pie.

Romance Recipe Pairing

Let’s pair these sweet and spicy Chai Pumpkin Pie Tartlets with Sarah Adams’ Beg, Borrow, or Steal! I love this series set in small town Rome, Kentucky so much and the last book in the series comes out at the end of December!