Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Pumpkin Pinwheels


Truth: I`m jealous of children...who can go trick-or-treating.

I can`t believe Halloween is already next week. Halloween was actually one of my favorite holidays growing up because you can dress up in a cool costume and get FREE CANDY. What more could a candy-craved kid, like myself, ask for? I got sad during college every time this year when I realized I was getting too old to go trick-or-treating. My friends and I tried one year, but we kept getting weird stares from the people opening the doors to us.

Honestly, I don`t know why getting free candy appeals to me so much, since I`m old enough to buy whatever candy my heart desires. But, it does. It was always so fun and exciting dressing up in a costume, ringing doorbells, saying, "TRICK OR TREAT!", and anticipating what candy we were going to get!

In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to make something simple utilizing the pumpkin theme. Instead of the ordinary, round pinwheels, I added a stem to make them pumpkin shaped! :D I`m excited they turned out as cute as they did in my head. With the swirls and everything! Don`t you love it when that happens? Hehe.

Also, in case you missed it, here`s another Halloween dessert idea I made last year: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes! They are so fun to make and not as finicky as an actual cheesecake. :)


Okay, back to these cute pumpkin pinwheels...

These are really simple! All you need is a sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry and a small mixing bowl to combine the pumpkin filling. Before you spread the pumpkin filling, cut a strip from the puff pastry to use as the pumpkin stems. After you roll and slice the log, attach a small rectangle piece to each cookie before you bake them.


Pumpkin Pinwheels
Hearts In My Oven Original | Yields: 12-14 cookies| Level: Easy | Total Time: 40 minutes | Print

Ingredients:
§  1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
§  ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
§  3 tablespoons brown sugar
§  ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
§  1 egg, lightly beaten
§  2 tablespoons granulated or turbinado sugar, +more for sprinkling
§  ½ chocolate bar
Materials Needed:
-          1 baking sheet
-          parchment paper
-          rolling pin
-          1 small-medium bowl
-          2 small bowls
-          1 rubber spatula
-          1 spoon
-          unflavored floss
-          1 pastry brush
Directions:
1.        Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2.       Flour your clean work surface (I like using a large baking mat to roll out dough/pastry.)
3.       Roll out your puff pastry to about 10 x 8 inches. Cut off a thin rectangular strip from the sheet (about 1 inch in width, lengthwise). Set aside until Step 11.
4.       In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
5.       Lightly brush the top of your puff pastry sheet with the beaten egg.
6.       Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top.
7.       Spread your pumpkin mixture on top with rubber spatula.
8.       Starting from the long side closest to you, roll towards the other side, pinch ends to seal.
9.       Using unflavored floss, or a really sharp knife, cut roll unto 12-14 equally thin slices.
10.   Place cut slices with 2 inches in between on prepared baking sheet.
11.   With the thin strip from earlier, cut enough rectangles as the number of cookie slices you have. Attach the rectangle to the top of each cookie slice (this will be your pumpkin stem).
12.   Lightly brush the tops of cookies with beaten egg.
13.   Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until tops are slightly golden.
14.   Remove from oven, sprinkle tops of each with more sugar. Transfer cookies to cooling rack.
15.   In a microwavable safe bowl, melt your chocolate for about 30 seconds, or until melted.
16.   Drizzle chocolate on top of each cookie.
17.   Serve immediately.

*Notes:
-          Best serve the day of, as puff pastry will get soft from pumpkin filling, but they will still taste good after a few days. 
Cooksnaps