Pumpkin Pasties

He had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

If you’re a Potterhead like I am, the term pumpkin pasty won’t be too unfamiliar. 

Though I can’t make chocolate frogs jump, create sugar mice that actually squeak, or snack boxes to get you out of class (not, at least, without contravening several health laws), I can make a pasty. A quick Google search reveals that I’m certainly not the first to try to recreate this snack, nor the last. 

Now call it what you want, pasties, hand pies, turnovers, or empanadas. They are all practically the same; the only difference is the crust. I’m not familiar with how Cornish pasties are made. I know they tend to be more savory. Myself personally, I prefer sweets.

Since I was a little girl, pumpkin empanadas have been my absolute all-time favorite empanadas. They were the only kind I chose at the Mexican panadería (bakery). I learned the terms hand pies and pasties and turnovers later in life from tv shows and movies. After reading harry potter for the first time, I remember forcing my mom to call pumpkin empanadas pumpkin pasties. 

Ingredients: 

For the Pumpkin Filling:

• 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree (or canned)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (cut in cubes)
• 6 oz. butter, room temperature

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

Combine the pumpkin puree with the sugars and spices in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the pumpkin puree is heated through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter; set aside and cool to room temperature.

For the dough:

Place the flour, cream cheese, and butter in a medium bowl. Using your hands, cut the cream cheese and butter into the flour until no large pieces are visible. Continue combining the ingredients with your hands until the dough forms a ball.  (This can be done in a food processor as well.)  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out circles with a 3-inch round cookie cutter or empanada mold.

Spoon about a teaspoonful of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon-shaped pie, crimp the crust’s edges together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. 

Combine the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the uncooked empanadas with the slightly beaten egg, then sprinkle a little of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until light golden brown.