Pumpkin Turnovers have all the flavor or traditional Pumpkin Pie but come wrapped in flaky puff pastry crust-- a perfectly portable treat for Thanksgiving!
Oh, these Pumpkin Turnovers! I kind of feel like I'm betraying the Thanksgiving gods by not posting a recipe for pie before Thanksgiving. I love pie, like a lot. Like enough to move across the country to Michigan just so I can be close to my favorite pie ever. But, when it comes to Thanksgiving it rarely makes it into my dessert list and when it does I usually make a cream pie that doesn't involve the oven. I know it's basically Thanksgiving blasphemy but that's just how the cookie crumbles in my little world.
These pumpkin turnovers are simple and quick enough for even the most novice of bakers and leave you with a super impressive pastry that makes you look like you've studied pastry-making in France. Just make sure you bury the evidence deep in the trash can before your company arrives. Things could get awkward when they find the puff pastry box after you've talked all about the "extensive french pastry training" you did.
Tips For Working With Puff Pastry when Making Pumpkin Turnovers:
- Puff Pastry Dough is prepared by taking a slab of butter, wrapping it in a prepared dough, and then through a series of folding, chilling and rolling sessions it's laminated into a dough with many, many thin layers. When baked, the fat between the layers melts, creating a gap, and those gaps are leavened by the water in the dough turning to steam. This is why it's so flakey!
- With Much Flakiness Comes Great Responsibility! Since puff pastry is made of so many layers it's relatively fragile. Store-bought dough is generally much less fragile because it's made with other fats that don't melt as quickly as butter, but it's still good to know a few tips when handling it.
- Don't "Thaw" it in the Microwave. You might think you're speeding things along by throwing it in the microwave but don't do it! It's best to thaw it in the fridge but if you have to, the countertop will work too.
- Handle it as little as possible. Your hands are warm, the more you handle the pastry the more your heating up those layers which may result in it not "puffing up" as well as you'd like.
- How you cut it counts. Use a sharp knife to cut as cleanly through the layers as you can. If you don't want your pastry to puff up, pierce it all over with the tines of a fork. Or, crimp the edges to prevent the layers from flaking all of the way to the edges.
Other Recipes For Your Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
-
- Sweet Potato Casserole With Coconut
- Corn Spoon Bread
- Best Dinner Roll Recipe
- Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Homemade Creamed Corn
- Cranberry Fluff
- Au Gratin Potato Recipe
- Never Fail Pie Crust
- Caramel Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
Tools Used For Making Pumpkin Turnovers:
- Silpat Baking Mats-- I use these silicone baking mats to line my baking sheet anytime I bake. Practically nothing sticks to them and I feel like my baked goods bake more evenly on them as well.
Pumpkin Turnovers
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry-- 2 sheets
Filling
- 1 Cup pumpkin puree NOT Pumpkin Pie Filling
- ¼ Cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoons water
Icing
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ Cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Unwrap and place frozen pastry sheets on the counter to thaw.
- Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth, set aside.
- Unfold thawed pastry dough and cut into fourths. Transfer squares to a lined baking sheet.
- Beat egg and water together to make an egg wash and brush the outside edges of each pastry square with egg.
- Place 2-3 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each square and carefully fold over.
- Using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges closed. Brush the remaining egg wash over the tops of each pastry pocket.
- Bake at 400 degree for about 20 minutes. The tops should be golden and the pastry well puffed.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the icing and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled turnovers.
Terrie Erhardt says
This looks SO good! Going to try it for my pumpkin-loving family!