Monday, November 9, 2015

Pumpkin Pie Tartlets



With Thanksgiving upon us, I'm thinking pumpkin! I saw this idea somewhere and liked it. Naturally, by the time I bought the puff pastry and wanted to try it, I couldn't locate the recipe, so I made up my own. The filling is almost a dump and beat together recipe. So quick and easy!

The more difficult part is that pesky puff pastry. I've had my share of disasters with puff pastry, so this time I watched the Pepperidge Farm video on using puff pastry. They say to work with it in less than 40 minutes after removing from the freezer. In addition, they recommended sprinkling the work surface with a bit of flour to roll it out. And they recommended working with it while still slightly frozen. Bzzzt! That's where I have run into problems. It doesn't budge!

Take it out and take the wrappers off. As soon as you can open a sheet without breaking it, open it up and allow it to continue to thaw while you make the filling. I rolled it out to 12 x 12. But when I cut it, I found I could still roll each piece a little bit thinner on its own with one or two rolls across it. 

Beyond that, this is easy and almost better than pumpkin pie. One of the things I love about this recipe is that it makes individual servings. I love baking big cakes. But if I hear one more person say just a taste for me! Aargh. And then they want a piece after all! I think these would be especially great for a buffet where people help themselves. No messy cutting of the pie.

The filling will crack when it bakes, but you're going to top it with whipped cream anyway, so it doesn't matter!



Pumpkin Pie Tartlets
Makes 9 tartlets

butter
1 package puff pastry sheets
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch cloves
pinch powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Take the puff pastry out of the freezer. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 wells of a cupcake pan.

Mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin and brown sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and beat well to mix.

Roll out the puff pastry to 12 inches x 12 inches. Cut into nine equal pieces. Roll each piece again if you feel like it. Place each piece into a cupcake well with little ends sticking up. Fill with the pumpkin mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, use a knife to help you pop them out. I found it helpful to move them in a circle first, then pop them out. Cool on a rack.

Beat the heavy cream, adding the sugar and vanilla when it begins to hold a shape. When the tartlets are cool, pipe the whipped cream on top of each one, much as you would a cupcake.


Thaw and roll out the puff pastry.

The filling will crack, but we don't care!

Cool on a rack.

Can be picked up and eaten with hands!


Coming November 24th!

23 comments:

  1. these are so cute! I bet they will be on a lot of tables this month...

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    1. Thanks, Roberta. they taste good, too! I like this filling better than most pumpkin pie fillings. Equal amounts of pumpkin and cream cheese are a good ratio to keep in mind.

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  2. Adorable! (But I confess: I might eat cardboard if it had cream cheese frosting on it.)

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  3. I often find myself saying, "Oh..my..goodness!", with your recipes. :)

    Plus, I'm SO looking forward to Murder Most Howl.

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    1. Aww. These are super easy. Really! I hope you'll like Murder Most Howl!

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  4. These are SO cute! I love the idea of their being bite-sized!

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    1. Peg, I made these cupcake size, but you could make them mini-cupcake size. That would be truly bite-size!

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  5. Portion control pumpkin delights.
    Perfect!

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  6. This recipe is one I have to try (though I'm a little nervous about the puff pastry - I've never worked with it before, and appreciate the tips). The pumpkin pie filling is almost like pumpkin cheesecake filling-YUM!

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    1. Celia, I really love that filling. One other puff pastry tip - cut it with a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Apparently, a dull knife can mush the edges together so it won't puff. Good luck!

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  7. Just lovely!!! They look beautiful and the cream dollup on top looks so professional, I can't stand it (LOL)
    But, yes I am going to try this before I make my next pumpkin pie, I love little mini pies.

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    1. Margaret, I hope you like them as much as we do. My mother, who tells me when she doesn't think something is up to snuff, loves them, too!

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  8. Oh, my. These look simply marvelous -- and puff pastry is surprisingly easy to work with. Traditional pumpkin pie filling is a bit heavy for my taste, but I think these will be marvelous -- almost like pumpkin cheesecake!

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    1. Leslie, I love this filling. It really kicks the pumpkin up and makes it creamier. I'm going to remember that for my next pumpkin pie.

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  9. Do you make your own pumpkin puree?

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    1. Hi Jody! Snort. I made my own puree one time. Once was enough. I buy canned pumpkin. If you have Kroger stores, I can heartily recommend their store brand. I find it's a little less watery than some of the other brands.

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    2. My cycling instructor cans her own and now I am feeling challenged to do the same. We both try to produce and preserve as much of our own food as possible. I am considering trying it but am wondering if it is worth it. She makes pumpkin protein balls that are awesome

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