Spiced Pumpkin Puff Pastry Squares
Last Updated on November 12, 2022 by Jacqueline Rafidi
Spiced Pumpkin Puff Pastry Squares are a delicious little sweet treat to make all fall long. They also happen to be perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Hi friends! It’s been a little bit since I shared a new recipe. I plan to be back with a punch to make this holiday season filled with all the delicious recipes. I’m starting off with these spiced pumpkin puff pastry squares. This recipe uses pumpkin butter which you can use my recipe for, but I’ve also included directions to make this with plain pumpkin puree. I recently found some pumpkin cheesecake croissants at Trader Joes and LOVED them so I wanted to give them a try at home.
The main difference here is the dough. We’re not making a classic croissant dough because then, well, these would not necessarily be under the “quick and easy” category. Puff pastry works just as well for this recipe, it’s much more accessible and you may even have it on hand already wondering what to do with it.
How to make these spiced pumpkin puff pastry squares
The goal here is to make a pastry cream-like filling that will stay put and not spread onto the baking sheet in the oven. Using just cream cheese and pumpkin will make the filling a bit too loose without the volume I was hoping for. So we start by mixing up corn starch and milk and whisking it over medium high heat, then bring it down to a simmer and continue whisking until the texture resembles a pudding. While this cools, combine the rest of the filling ingredients – cream cheese, pumpkin butter, sugar and spices.
Prepare your puff pastry sheets by cutting them into squares, then use a pairing knife to cut along the edges of each square leaving two opposite corners not connected – for reference, see the image below.
Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to add some of the pumpkin cream to the center of the puff pastry, then take each perforated end and bring it to the other side so it looks like this:
Add egg wash to the pastry dough of each square and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set and the dough is golden and flakey.
These are going to be a hit at your next fall get together. They’re great for a fun and festive cocktail night, for dessert of course and you can also enjoy any leftovers for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee!
When you make these Spiced Pumpkin Puff Pastry Squares, comment down below and rate this recipe to let me know your thoughts! Also share a picture or tag me on Instagram @thebitewithjackie, I love seeing your remakes!
Spiced Pumpkin Puff Pastry Squares
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 8 oz cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup pumpkin butter or pumpkin puree* See Notes
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Small pinch of salt
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1 egg + water for the egg wash.
Instructions
- Add the milk and corn starch to a pot and whisk well together before adding to the stove on medium high heat. It’s important to mix this before adding to the heat so the corn starch doesn’t clump up. Let it come to a light bubble while whisking consistently, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes still whisking until it thickens and has the texture of pudding. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar and brown sugar. Mix well before adding in the cooled milk mixture. Whisk together well until the texture is similar to a pastry cream.
- Remove your puff pastry from the fridge and slice each sheet into 4 even squares. Separate the squares on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to cut lines ½ inch from the border of the puff pastry in the shape of the square but with two opposite ends of the square not connected. It should look like two triangle tips on either side of the square (See image in blog post). Gently separate the dough along the perforations.
- Use a large cookie scoop (about ¼ cup) and add a scoop of the pumpkin cream to the center of the puff pastry. Take each perforated end and bring it to the other side so that the edges are crossed. Continue with the rest of the pastries. Mix together the egg plus 2-3 Tablespoons of water and brush along the edges of the puff pastry dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry cream is set and the puff pastry is golden brown and flakey. Enjoy!
