To continue the Harry Potter theme, I baked up a quick batch of pumpkin pasties– basically mini hand-pies filled with spiced pumpkin purée. Previously when I’ve made pumpkin-filled desserts I have gone to the trouble of baking a pumpkin custard, basically a pumpkin pie filling, and then scooping it into whatever I’m filling (phyllo triangles, for example), but I was in a bit of a hurry with this one and it ended up tasting just fine, so I’ll give you the recipe as-is.
Not too sweet, these two-bite desserts have a nicely spiced filling and sparkle with coarse sugar on top. I actually like them better cold than hot– the pumpkin flavor seems to come through better that way– but they’re tasty either way!
Pumpkin Pasties (quick recipe)
- 1 package refrigerated rolled pie crust (Pillsbury is pretty decent)
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 3 tbs. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- pinch cloves
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 egg, for glazing
- Coarse sugar, for topping
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Unroll pie crusts and cut 3.5″ circles of dough using a round cutter.
- In a small bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, and spices.
- Beat egg in a dish to make an egg wash.
- Place a spoonful of pumpkin just off-center of each circle of dough, and use your finger or a pastry brush to trace a half-circle of egg wash along the edge.
- Fold over and press so the egg wash acts as a glue, then use a fork to crimp the edges shut.
- Arrange pasties on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with more egg wash.
- Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar, then use a paring knife to cut a vent or two.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
It's All Frosting... 