Embrace the spirit of autumn with these delightful vegan pumpkin hand pies. Enveloped in flaky puff pastry and filled with a velvety pumpkin and cream cheese mix, these are perfect for your fall dessert spread.
Ingredients
Velvety Pumpkin Filling:
- Dairy-free cream cheese: 115g
- Light brown sugar: 100g
- Pumpkin puree: 110g
- Pumpkin pie spice: 1 tsp
Pumpkin Sugar Sprinkle:
- White granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons
- Pumpkin spice: 1 teaspoon
- Vegan puff pastry sheets (like Jus-Roll): 2
- Dairy-free milk, for glazing
Steps to Perfection
- Creating the Pumpkin Filling:
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dairy-free cream cheese and light brown sugar. Whisk until a smooth and luscious consistency is achieved. This can be done using a stand mixer, electric hand whisk, or even manually with a handheld whisk.
- Blend in the pumpkin puree and spice, ensuring a rich, creamy mixture.
- Preparing the Pastry:
- Set the oven to 180°C fan. Ready two baking trays, lining them with greaseproof paper.
- Gently spread out the pastry sheets, using a rolling pin to smoothen any creases.
- Carve out pumpkin forms from the pastry using a cookie cutter. Re-roll any leftover pastry bits to cut out additional shapes.
- Chill these carved pastries in the fridge for a brief 5 minutes.
- On half of these pumpkin shapes, carve three slits on the top to create a textured look.
- Pie Assembly:
- As you put together these hand pies, it's more efficient to focus on one pie at a time.
- Start by placing a non-slit pumpkin shape on your lined baking tray.
- Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the pumpkin filling at its center. Be mindful not to overfill, or it might spill out during baking.
- Brush a bit of dairy-free milk around the pastry's edge, aiding in adhesion.
- Top it with a slit pumpkin shape, pressing the edges to seal the pie. Give the top a gentle milk brush and a sprinkle of the pumpkin sugar mix.
- Continue this process for all pies.
- Given that the pastry puffs up when baked, it's best to bake six pies on a tray at once. Bake them until they're a beautiful golden shade and the pastry turns flaky—roughly 15-18 minutes.
- Once done, allow them to rest on the tray momentarily before moving them to a wire rack.
- As you put together these hand pies, it's more efficient to focus on one pie at a time.
Serve these delightful pies warm or at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy your homemade autumn treat!
