Pumpkin pasties are a sweet, baked pastry filled with spiced pumpkin filling. These handheld turnovers are perfect for serving at your next Harry Potter themed party or for Halloween.
Pumpkin pasties are my latest recipe to be inspired by the Harry Potter fantasy book series. These sweet handheld dessert pies are filled with pumpkin pie spiced filling - perfect for fall.
A pasty (pronounced pass tea), is a small, baked pastry, usually associated with Cornwall, United Kingdom. My version is made with flaky pie crust and a sweet, spiced pumpkin pie filling, but pasties can also be made with savory fillings.
Pair these pumpkin pasties with some pumpkin juice for your next Harry Potter movie party. These sweet pumpkin turnovers would also make a great addition to your Halloween party menu or fall event.
Harry Potter inspired
This recipe was inspired by the Harry Potter fantasy book series. Pumpkin pasties are served on the Hogwarts Express by Honeydukes Sweetshop, as the students travel to and from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A pasty is a Cornish baked pastry, often filled with meat and vegetables. These pumpkin pasties are a sweet variation, filled with a pumpkin pie type filling and topped with a crunchy sugar crust.
For more information: Wikipedia - Pasty
Ingredients and substitutions
For this recipe, you'll need two pie crusts. Store bought or homemade pie crust can be used for this recipe, as long as you have enough dough for two pie crusts total.
You'll also need canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). I've slightly reduced the amounts from what is shown in the photos, so follow the recipe card below for exact measurements.
The cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves can be substituted with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.
Turbinado sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar for the sugar crust.
Brown sugar can also be substituted with granulated sugar, but the brown sugar does give the filling a nice caramelized flavor.
Preparing your dough
I used a wide mouth mason jar lid from a 16 ounce jar, which was 3.5 inches in diameter. Keep in mind that the size of your pasties will determine the amount of pies you're able to make with the recipe.
A drinking glass, large biscuit cutter, the rim of a small bowl, or a round tupperware lid could also work in a pinch. Grab a ruler and find any round object that's between 3-4 inches in diameter.
To make 20 pastries from two pie crusts, gather your leftover dough and reroll it to make more circles, until you have no more dough remaining.
Filling your pasties
For a 3.5 inch round pasty, I added about 2 teaspoons of filling. Test how much filling you'll need by making a single pasty and sealing the edges with a fork. If any filling spills out the sides, you've overfilled your turnover.
Too much filling will cause your pasties to break open while baking. While still edible, they may not look pretty if you're serving them for a party.
Serving your pasties
Pumpkin pasties can be served warm or at room temperature, but are best served the same day.
Leftover pasties can be enjoyed for 2-3 days, kept in a sealed container at room temperature. Keep in mind that your pie crust will soften over time, which is why they are best served the same day as baking.
Make ahead and freeze
Want to make pumpkin pasties ahead of time? Your pasties can be frozen (unbaked) for up to two months in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container.
After assembling, but before adding your egg wash, lay your pasties in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, about 2 hours, then transfer to a freezer safe container.
Pasties can be baked straight from the freezer - add up to 5 minutes to your baking time.
Pumpkin Pasties (turnovers)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- Dust surface with flour and roll out pie crust to ⅛" thickness. Cut dough into 3 to 4 inch circles using a cookie cutter, round lid, or drinking glass. Reroll dough and continue cutting circles until no dough remains. I made twenty 3.5" round circles from two pie crusts.
- Lay dough onto prepared baking sheets and add 2 teaspoons of filling to the center of each dough circle (this amount will vary based on the size of your circles). Fold dough over to cover filling and pinch the edges closed using a fork.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Brush the top of each pasty with egg wash, sprinkle with turbinado sugar, and cut three slits into the top of each pasty to vent.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until pasties are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves can be substituted with pumpkin pie spice.
- Pasties can be assembled ahead of time and frozen (before adding egg wash) for up to two months in a tightly sealed container. To bake from frozen, continue with directions as written, but add up to 5 minutes of baking time.
- Leftover pasties can be stored in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Pie crust will soften as it sets, and pasties are best served the same day.
Do I cut the vents into them before freezing them?
Yes, you can cut vents into the pies before freezing.
When substituting the pumpkin pie spice for all the spices do you add up all the amounts of spices to know how much pumpkin spice to put in?
The spices in the recipe can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (the measurements equal out to 1 1/8 teaspoons but for simplicity's sake 1 teaspoon will work just fine).
Why can't you use pumpkin pie filling?
Hi Karen, I mention in the post that pumpkin puree cannot be substituted with pumpkin pie filling because pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which is what we do in step two of this recipe (adding sugar and spices). If you used pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree and then followed the rest of the recipe, it would turn out too sweet and over-spiced.
I haven't tested this myself, but you could probably substitute the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with canned pumpkin pie filling. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Can you freeze after baked?Floretta
Hi Floretta, I prefer to freeze them before baking, but if you have leftovers, they can also be frozen. Make sure they're cooled completely before storing in a freezer safe container. Your pastries may dry out slightly when heated a second time, so I'd recommend only taking as many from the freezer as you intend to eat at one time. Hope this helps!