Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze

Yep. You read it right, Pumpkin. Pie. Pop. Tarts. 

Fall seems to be evading me this year and it's making me really sad! The weather here in Vegas can't seem to make up its mind - scorching heat one day and gusty winds the next, then freak storms and frigidly cold nights. Being that Fall is my favorite season and it hasn't really arrived yet makes me kind of pissed off or at least a bit disgruntled.

But despite the lack of a true fall, I will not give up my right to cook up all things Fall, namely all things pumpkin. These little things? Two layers of crispy, buttery, flaky pie stuffed with lightly spiced, smooth pumpkin pie filling. Yes, it is perfection. Joy the Baker is seriously a genius. I really enjoyed these but the pastry was a little too delicate and broke quite easily. Next time I make these, I'd probably use a sturdier pie crust, other than that: I definitively concur that these are amazing. 

Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze

Yields: 9 tarts

Original recipe here.

For the crust:

2 cups flour

1 tbsn. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 oz.) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

1 large egg

2 tbsn. milk

1 large egg, whisked (for brushing)

For the filling:

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1 large egg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup sugar

For the maple glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. maple syrup

2 tbsn. milk

To prepare the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cold butter and break it up in the flour mixture using your fingers, a pastry cutter or a food processor. Work it in until only pea sized lumps remain in your mixture. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk. Add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir to make sure it is well combined. Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counter for a few turns until it really starts to come together. Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To make the filling, in a small saucepan, heat the pumpkin puree and spices over medium heat. Heat heat through until the spices become fragrant. Remove from the heat and place the spiced pumpkin in a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg, salt, and sugar and place in the refrigerator to rest. On a well floured surface, press the dough into a 3x5 inch rectangle, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. The dough should be slightly larger than 9x12 inches. Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a rectangle that is 9 inches tall and 12 inches long. Using a pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares. 

Place the dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way. Brush one set of the 9 squares with the beaten egg. Spoon about one tablespoon of pie filling into the center of each brushed dough square. Top with a piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed. Use the tines of the fork to create vent holes in each tart. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Let the tarts rest in the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Remove the tarts from the fridge and place in the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. To make the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients and set aside. Glaze the tarts when they are completely cooled.

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

This summer has pretty much fostered my obsession with everything peaches. I've been glued to everything having to do with the furry, sweet, gorgeous things. When I choose recipes I love to read how the baker feels about the product. Most of the time most people don't even write about how the thing actually tastes which makes me so mad!!! Something pretty and something tasty can be two absolutely different things. That's why I love The Pioneer Woman!

She includes step to step photos which help me make sure I am doing everything right and that everything looks right as well. But besides that her recipes always look effing glorious and she includes descriptions of the flavors that make me drool all over my computer. Trust me people, start drooling because this peach crisp is all that and more! Gooey, sweet peaches with crispy, buttery crumble. I DIE for this crumble... oh gosh so good!!!! And the maple cream sauce?!?!? I've died and gone to heaven. One problem I had with this recipe was that it was a bit too sweet for me though. So next time I make it (trust me, there will be a next time), I'd cut back on the sugar a lot (I've included the original recipe and adjustments).

Before being baked:

After being baked:

The maple cream sauce:

Pioneer Woman's Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Yields: approximately 8 - 10 servings

Original recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which can be found here.

For the peach crisp:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (I would eliminate this)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2.5 - 3 cups of peaches

zest of 1/4 a lemon

juice of 1/4 a lemon

1 tbsn. maple syrup (I would eliminate this as well unless you peaches were super sour)

For the maple cream sauce:

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2.5 tbsn. maple syrup (reduce to 1 tbsn.)

1.5 tbsn. light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 F. Add flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Cut butter into bits and add it to the bowl and cut into flour mixture. Peel and slice the peaches, not overly ripe or soft. Add the zest, lemon juice and maple syrup to the peaches and mix well. Pour into a small baking pan and then top with the crumb topping. Cover tightly with foil and pop into oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 - 30 minutes until top is crispy and brown. To make the sauce, stir all of the ingredients together over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thick and reduced by about 1/3, about 15 minutes. Chill until cooled and thickened. Serve over your peach crisp and enjoy!