Pumpkin Puff Pastry
These pumpkin pastries are fun to create and make a real showstopper of an appetizer! I use pre-made puff pastry and stuff them with homemade pumpkin and spice filling. You can make these using whatever size you prefer, but I’ve outlined a few sizing suggestions below. This recipe leaves a little pumpkin filling and nuts leftover, so feel free to store them in the fridge until you make it again.
This recipe first appeared in my biweekly recipe column, Mixing with Zest, in The Westfield Leader on Thursday, October 14, 2021.
Ingredients:
1 package of pre-made puff pastry (should include 2 sheets of pre-rolled pastry)
Pumpkin filling:
1 cup pumpkin purée
½ tsp pumpkin spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp Kosher salt
1 egg
Spice filling:
1 cup ground pecans
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup brown sugar
Directions:
If your puff pastries are frozen, leave them in the fridge to thaw overnight or leave at room temperature for ~2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unroll one of your sheets of puff pastry.
Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. You want these to be somewhat uniform in size because you’ll be stacking one square on top of another.
Size options: You can make 7 large pastries that are ~3”x3.5” or about 15 small pastries that are ~2”x3”.
In a medium size bowl, make your pumpkin filling my whisking the pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, salt and egg together. Set aside.
In a food processor, grind your pecans into a sand-like consistency.
Pour the pecans into a small bowl and add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, brown sugar and mix. Set aside.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (to prevent burning/sticking).
Line your baking sheet with half of your pastry squares. Put about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin filling and 1 teaspoon of spice filling in the middle of each pastry. Spread slightly, but avoid getting in on the edges as much as possible.
Take the other half of your pastry squares and place on top of the filling. Gently press it down around the edges.
Using a fork, press down to crimp the edges of the pastry together to ensure the filling stays inside.
Optional: Once these are on the baking sheet, you can sprinkle some of the nut mixture on top or leave them as they are.
Bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!