These easy Pumpkin Hand Pies are made using pumpkin butter that you can make from scratch or buy at the store. With just 4-ingredients and 35 minutes, you can have these delicious handheld pumpkin pies ready to serve to family and friends.
Autumn is upon us, which means it’s time for cozy eats and pumpkin-flavored everything. With a handful of seasonal ingredients and a super simple process, these Pumpkin Hand Pies check the boxes, making them the perfect festive fall treat for this time of year.
Flaky, buttery puff pastry is filled with rich, spiced pumpkin butter, then baked to golden brown perfection for sweet and adorable handheld desserts anyone and everyone is sure to love. These hand pies made with store-bought or homemade pumpkin butter are as easy as pie…hand pies, that is. Cheers to fall!
If you enjoy pumpkin-packed treats like these, don’t sleep on some of our other favorite pumpkin recipes. These pumpkin butter pop tarts are a seasonal spin on a classic—as is our recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. They’re a fan-favorite at fall football tailgates. And be sure to try our Pumpkin Pie Cookies that went viral on social media—they are so fun!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There’s so much to love about these delectable little hand pies. They’re festive and fall-inspired, and the perfect handheld treat for the autumn season. Here’s what we love most about them.
- Quick and Easy Fall Treat: With just a handful of ingredients and a simple assembly process, this sweet treat comes together quickly, and almost anyone can make them—get the whole family involved.
- Simple Shortcut Ingredients: This recipe calls for just a few ingredients, and all can be purchased from your local grocery store or market. Frozen puff pastry and store-bought pumpkin butter cuts down on effort and time, without sacrificing any flavor.
- Tasty Twist on Tradition: The flavors of fall, especially pumpkin, are loved by everyone. These hand pies are a new fun and delicious twist on the traditional pumpkin flavors you usually find in desserts around this time of the year.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Butter: Rich, creamy, and full of fall spices, this is the perfect filling for these hand pies. Use your favorite store-bought version (this is a great option) or try our easy homemade pumpkin butter recipe.
- Puff Pastry: Light, buttery and flaky, this is the perfect “crust” for these handheld treats. Bonus, the store-bought variety works perfectly – use your favorite brand.
- Egg: Combined with a bit of water, this makes an egg wash that adds sheed and golden color to the baked hand pies.
- Turbinado sugar: Gives the outside of these pies a sweet, almost caramel-like flavor, and a golden, crunchy texture.
How To Make Pumpkin Hand Pies
The full recipe with ingredient and timings, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut out the puff pastry into rounds—I like to use a 3-inch round cookie cutter. You could also use a fun shape or simple cut the sheets into squares. Anything goes here, but do not roll out the dough, you want these to puff up as tall as possible!
- Arrange the puff pastry cut-outs on the prepared baking sheet, then spoon the pumpkin butter in the center of each pastry piece. Place the remaining puff pastry pieces over top and crimp the edges to seal.
- Brush the hand pies with egg wash then sprinkle heavily with turbinado to coat.
- Bake the hand pies until they are puffed, golden brown and crisp, this will take about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool just slightly before serving. (These are best enjoyed shortly after baking.)
Expert Tips
These hand pies really are “easy as pie” to make, but here are a few extra tips and tricks to take them to the next level.
- Go Homemade or Store-bought Pumpkin Butter. Flavorful, spiced pumpkin butter is the filling for these hand pies, and either store-bought varieties or your go-to homemade recipe work great. Find it at your local grocery store or market and use your preferred brand, or whip up a batch of your own and keep it on hand for the season.
- Get Creative with Toppings. We love the nutty sweetness and crunch from turbinado sugar, but try a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar or a simple powdered sugar glaze for another topping option.
- Switch Up The Sizes. These are great personal, handheld desserts, but feel free to make them different sizes. Make them slightly smaller for mini, poppable bites, or slightly larger for a heartier dessert.
- Add Slits and Create Shapes. Get creative and have fun with these. Use a paring knife to add slits—this will give a textured look of a pumpkin while also letting steam out while baking. If you have fall-inspired cookie cutters on hand, use these to cut out your puff pastry shapes too.
- Serve With Ice Cream. Everything is better a la mode! Serve these hand pies warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or topped with homemade whipped cream.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
These hand pies will last if you find yourself with leftovers (lucky you!), and even better, they can be made ahead of time. Here’s how:
- Fridge: Store leftover hand pies in an airtight container in the the refrigerator for upn to 3 days.
- Freezer: These can be frozen, too. Place unbaked pies on a baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen, transfer the hand pies to a food storage bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before topping with egg wash and sugar, and baking.
- Make-Ahead: This recipe is a great make-ahead dessert. Assemble the hand pies up to 2 days in advance (wait to add the egg wash and sugar), then store the unbaked pies in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to enjoy them, brush on the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely. Pumpkin pie filling would be delicious in these. Just note, pumpkin pie filling is slightly wetter and looser than pumpkin butter so we wouldn’t recommend assembling these ahead of time.
No, you don’t need to, but turbinado sugar adds a nice sweetness, shine, and crunch to the outside. You can certainly use regular granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, or even a simple powdered sugar glaze instead.
Yes! Assemble the pies up to 2 days in advance, just wait to brush them with egg wash and add the sugar until you’re ready to bake them.
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Pumpkin Hand Pies
Description
Ingredients
- ½ cup homemade pumpkin butter or store-bought
- 1 (17.3-ounce) box puff pastry thawed
- 1 large egg beaten
- Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF (204ºC) with rack set in middle position; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 16 rounds out of thawed puff pastry.
- Arrange 8 rounds on prepared baking sheet; spoon two teaspoons of pumpkin butter in the center of each round. Place remaining 8 rounds of puff pastry over top of rounds with pumpkin butter. Using a fork, crimp edges of rounds to seal.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with 2 teaspoons water. Brush rounds with egg wash then sprinkle turbinado sugar over top to coat.
- Bake hand pies until golden brown and puffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.