Pumpkin Custard Cups
It’s a Thanksgiving tradition in our house to make pumpkin pie for dessert and I’m happy to do it. Mixing the dough, chilling, rolling, pre-baking, adding the custard and baking some more, then letting it cool...it’s a bit much for a random Monday dessert. These little custard cups on the other hand give you all the pumpkin pie goodness with a quarter of the work and time. Make more than you think you need and snack on them all week. You can use whatever little jars or cups you have lying around, just be sure they are oven safe!
Ingredients:
One 14 oz. can pureed pumpkin (or 1 ½ cups homemade)
3 eggs
1 ¼ cups coconut sugar (you can sub half this amount for regular cane sugar if you want a slightly sweeter end result)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
A slight pinch of ground cloves and freshly ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk
(for a dairy free you can replace the cream and milk for 1 ¼ cup coconut milk!)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar with a whisk until light and frothy. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, arrowroot powder, salt, and spices and stir until shiny and smooth. Add the cream and milk and stir until just combined.
You’ll need a deep oven safe dish to nestle your little jars into. I use a glass 9x13 pyrex dish for this, but use what you have! Collect your little cups and jars. I use a combination of 4 oz. mason jars and 6 oz. ceramic ramekins. You could even bake it as one large custard by pouring it into a ceramic or glass 8x8 dish. Place your cups into the large 9x13 dish and pour your mixture into the cups. Don’t fill them to the brim because you’ll want room for whipped cream! When the cups are full, take a ladle or spouted cup and pour water all around the cups. Take care not to get water into the actual cups as it will ruin the texture. You want to water to come up about halfway on the jars. Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The middle will jiggle slightly! Put the cups in the fridge to set up and enjoy cold with a dollop of whipped cream!
