Pumpkin Pie Puffs

A few weeks ago, we had a Fall Dessert Day at work for everyone to bring in their favorite fall treats. Of course, Gayatri and I had to make something...but wanted it to be more interesting than traditional pumpkin or apple pie. Gayatri made a delectable orange-pumpkin cake with orange-zest cream cheese frosting. My first thought was to make a batch of apple pie roll-ups with Crescent rolls instead of pie crust (which I did end up making), and then I wondered if I could make something similar with pumpkin pie filling instead. Just rolling a blob of pumpkin pie filling in a Crescent roll might leave the whole thing a limp soggy mess, though, so I turned to trusty Google to get some ideas. Marshmallows were the key! Crescent rolls + marshmallows = beautiful pastry puffs, which I could then stuff with tasty pumpkin pie filling. 

Ingredients: (makes 16 puffs)

For the puffs

2 can Pillsbury crescent rolls

16 large marshmallows

16 mini marshmallows

~2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

½ cup butter, melted

For the filling

1 can (~15oz) pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

8oz cream cheese

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ cup powdered sugar

*Pumpkin Pie spice (makes about ¼ cup)

⅛ cup ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground ginger

½ TBSP ground allspice

Making the puffs

Separate and spread out the crescent roll dough. Dip a large marshmallow in the melted butter, then roll in the pumpkin pie spice mix. Place it in the middle toward the wide end of a crescent roll wedge and put a mini marshmallow on top of it, then bring up the sides of the crescent roll to wrap around the marshmallow, forming a satchel or pouch (similar to these Easter surprise rolls but with the extra mini marshmallow). The mini marshmallow will help keep an opening for the pouch so it can be filled later.

Once the pouch is formed, dip the bottom in melted butter, then place in a muffin pan. Repeat with the remaining marshmallows.

Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. As the pouches bake, the marshmallows will puff up inside them, then melt, leaving a hollow puff with a pocket for filling. Let the puffs cool before filling.

 

Making the filling

Combine pumpkin puree, cream cheese, and sugar and mix until smooth. Spoon into a large Ziploc bag with a large round icing tip (if you don’t have an icing tip, snip off a corner of the bag).

Once the puffs are cool to the touch, pipe the filling in through the opening left by the mini marshmallow (in case the puff opening collapsed, use a knife to poke through). Each puff should be able to hold about 2 tablespoons of filling - and you can feel the puff expanding a bit in your hand as it is filled.

It's best to wait to fill these until just before serving, otherwise the pastry might get a little soggy.

Happy indulging!

~Karla


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Not your typical pumpkin pie - a delicious fall treat!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/11/pumpkin-pie-puffs.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, November 5, 2015