Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts Recipe

Crust:

1. In a food processor pulse together flour, salt, and granulated sugar. Add butter and pulse mixture until resembles coarse meal (it won’t really come together in pieces much at this point, so don’t over-process, just pulse until butter is no longer in large pieces).

2. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse several times. If it doesn’t come together in clumps, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of water.

3. Drop mixture onto a clean surface, gather the dough into a ball, then divide into two portions. Shape each portion into about a 5-inch disk.

4. Cover each with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1. To a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture to blend, while running the spatula against the bowl to smooth any lumps.

2. Lay pumpkin puree on several layers of paper towels.

3. Wrap and press to soak some of the excess moisture from pumpkin to have ¾ cup pumpkin puree.

4. Add reduced pumpkin puree to cream cheese mixture along with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt and stir. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract.

5. Cover bowl and chill until ready to assemble pop tarts.

To Assemble:

1. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

2. Working with 1 chilled disk of dough at a time (keep other in fridge to chill), roll dough out onto a floured surface to a 13×11-inch rectangle (when edges start to crack a little when rolling, seal them and continue rolling).

3. Then, trim edges to get a 12×10-inch rectangle (to even the edges). Then cut into eight 5×3-inch rectangles (cut in half through the longness then 3 cuts through the opposite).

4. Arrange 4 of the rectangles, spaced evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet. Spread a slightly heaping 1½ tablespoons of pumpkin pie filling evenly down the center of each rectangle, leaving about a ¾-inch rim on all sides uncoated.

5. Dampen fingertips with water and run along uncoated edges of pop tarts.

6. Top each with another rectangle, then seal edges with fingertips, then reseal with a fork. Poke the top center of each tart 3 times with a fork.

7. Cover and transfer to the freezer to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Repeat the process with the remaining disk of dough.

8. After chilling, position one oven rack near the top third of the oven and a second oven rack near the bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

9. Bake frozen tarts for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden, rotating racks once halfway through baking. Allow to cool on baking sheet for several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Icing:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together all icing ingredients well then add more half and half about ½ teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.

2. Spread over tops of cooled pop tarts, leaving a small rim uncoated around all sides. Sprinkle tops with sprinkles if desired and allow the glaze to set at room temperature.

3. Store in an airtight container.