Description
Jack O’ Lantern Pumpkin Hand Pies are festive, flaky puff pastry treats filled with warm, spiced pumpkin filling. Shaped like pumpkins and carved with jack-o’-lantern faces, these hand pies are perfect for Halloween parties or cozy fall baking with kids.
Ingredients
- 4 sheets puff pastry, thawed slightly but still cold
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin)
- 1 large egg (for filling)
- 1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon half and half (or milk)
- 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Allow puff pastry sheets to thaw until flexible but still cold (about 30–40 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Set aside for topping.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, whole egg, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, salt, and half and half until smooth.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll each puff pastry sheet to about 13 inches long. Use a 3.5-inch pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
- Place half of the pumpkin cutouts on the baking sheets (these will be the bottoms).
- On the other half (the tops), use a sharp knife to cut jack-o’-lantern faces. Roll these tops slightly larger to cover the filled bottoms.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto each bottom shape, leaving a small border. Brush edges with water.
- Place a top cutout over each filled bottom and press edges gently to seal.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush over tops of hand pies.
- Sprinkle spiced sugar mixture over each pie.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- For creamier filling, add 1–2 tablespoons softened cream cheese to the pumpkin mixture.
- Keep puff pastry cold while working—chill again if it becomes too soft.
- Cut slits for steam if not carving jack-o’-lantern faces.
- Try swapping pumpkin for apple pie filling for a delicious variation.
- Freeze unbaked pies for later—bake directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to bake time.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 hand pie
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
