Pumpkin Pie Dip...or is that Scoop?!

My sister and I agree that when a dip is really good, you can't just dip it....you gotta scoop it! Okay - so, I had a few friends over last weekend for an autumn get-together. As is usual for me, I began planning the menu a couple of weeks in advance because I like to make lists for shopping and prepping ease - and becasue I just get excited to entertain! One day, while browsing the food magazines in Borders, I came across this terrific appetizer that was just perfect for fall - Pumpkin Pie Dip - Yum! Once October starts, I could have pumpkin in just about every single thing I eat - I love it! Anyway - like a true tight-wad in this economy, I pulled a scrap of paper and a pen from my purse and scribbled down the thankfully short recipe rather than purchasing the whole magazine. I guess that's sort of like stealing - but hey, the pumpkin pie dip was really the only great recipe in the whole mag - so, better I 'steal' one, tiny, little recipe than the publisher scamming me out of 6 bucks for a whole bunch of other useless recipes, right?! Riiiight.... ;-) Anyway - this dip is super-scrumptous and so easy. 'They' say to serve it with gingersnaps - which I did, but I also baked some cinnamon/sugar pie crust cut-outs that to me, were more delicious with this dip than the snaps. Why not whip up this yummy treat and decide for yourself?!

Pumpkin Pie Dip ~
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teas. cinnamon
1 teas. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teas. ground ginger
Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Chill if desired or serve immediately with gingersnaps and/or pie crust cut-outs (see below)
Pie Crust Cut-Outs ~
Make your own pie dough and roll it out to 1/8" thickness or purchase ready-made dough rounds. Use mini cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes or simply cut the rolled-out dough into small, equal size squares. Place shapes on a baking sheet and lightly brush the top of each cut-out with milk. Sprinkle each one with a cinnamon/sugar mixture (go heavy or light on the sprinkling, it's up to you). Bake for approx. 8 to 10 minutes at 350-degrees. Check them every minute after minute-8 to make sure they don't get too brown - the edges should be just lightly browned. Slide cut-outs off the hot baking sheet onto a cooling rack. Once cool - store them in an air-tight container - that is, IF you don't eat them all up right away with the dip!