pumpkin pasties

I’m not sure I’ve ever admitted it on this blog before, but I am a major Harry Potter nerd. I started reading the books way back as a junior in high school (12 years ago now!) and loved them. My best friend Cort is just as into them as I am, and she throws the best Harry Potter parties in the Universe (like, candles suspended in the air and gold-plated dinnerware and house elves for serving and quidditch in the backyard great parties). Last week her daughter Elinor (whom I adopted as my surrogate daughter before we had kids) turned eight, and we had a big Harry Potter bash to celebrate. Cort asked me to bring something for dessert, and of course I had to make pumpkin pasties!

I’ve made them before, but this was my first time actually making the pastry myself, and I think it made all the difference. They were like perfect tiny bites of pumpkin pie!

Judging by how few were left after everyone had made the rounds of the food tables, I think they were a hit. The pastry itself was delicious, and I would love to use it for other kinds of pasties. I’m not actually the biggest pumpkin pie fan (I prefer my pumpkin in soup or cookies or scones) but these were pretty tasty little buggers. Harry Potter forever!

Pumpkin Pasties
Brownie Bites

Dough:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar pinch of salt
1 stick of cold, unsalted but­ter, diced
1 pack­age of cold cream cheese, cut into coarse chunks

Filling:
3/4 cup canned or fresh pump­kin puree
1 large egg pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Place dry ingre­di­ents in medium bowl and mix together. Add the cold, diced but­ter and mix it together with flour until you have what looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add in the pieces of cream cheese and mix until the dough is very clumpy. Turn dough out onto a lightly flour dusted sur­face and knead until a smooth dough has formed. Wrap in plas­tic and chill for at least 30 min­utes. Can be made in advance and frozen up to 3 months.

In saucepan, heat pumpkin with dry spices on medium-low heat until warmed. Remove from heat. Mix in egg, salt, and sugar. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Preheat oven to 350F On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick­ness and cut with round cookie or biscuit cutter. Place rounds onto a greased cookie sheet. Spoon a small amount of pumpkin filling onto the bottom third of the dough circles. Fold the circles over and seal the edges by either folding over and pinching with your fingers, or crimping with a fork. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze each pasty with beaten egg mixed with a little milk or water. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.