Jack-O’-Lantern Pumpkin Hand Pies
Nothing says Halloween quite like pumpkins—and these u003cstrongu003eJack-O’-Lantern Pumpkin Hand Piesu003c/strongu003e bring the spirit of the season straight to your dessert table. Flaky, buttery pastry filled with a spiced pumpkin filling and decorated to look like smiling (or spooky!)
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Crust:
- 2 ready-made pie crusts (or homemade, if preferred)
- 1 egg (for egg wash, beaten with 1 tbsp water)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional, for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Make the Filling In a bowl, mix pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, vanilla, and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the Crust Roll out pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter (or a homemade paper template), cut out 16–20 pumpkin shapes. On half of them, use a small knife to cut out jack-o’-lantern faces.
- Assemble the Pies Place plain pumpkin shapes on a lined baking sheet. Spoon 1–2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each. Place a jack-o’-lantern cut-out crust on top and press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake Bake in preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, until golden and flaky. Cool for 5–10 minutes before serving.