Puff Pastry Pumpkins with Apple Cheesecake Filling

These delicious puff pastry pumpkins have a surprising apple cheesecake filling! Serve up these mini pumpkins for desserts or at autumn tea parties.

With the rustic look and traditional fall flavors, these pastries are perfect for both Halloween and Thanksgiving treats.

How to Make Puff Pastry Pumpkins

Makes 6-8 mini pumpkins.

A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into small squares
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• Oven-safe thread or twine, such as baking twine (optional, used for shaping)
• Pretzel sticks (for the pumpkin stems)

Directions

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the diced apple, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Cook for about 5 minutes until the apples are softened. Let the mixture cool.

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface (if not pre-rolled) and cut out 3-4 inch circles using a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a glass.

Place one square of cream cheese in the center of each circle. You can flatten the cream cheese slightly if you would like. Then top with a spoonful of the apple filling.

Gather the edges of the pastry up around the filling and pinch the top to seal, forming a little pouch. Similar to making a dumpling.

Wrap each pastry with thread or twine to create pumpkin-like indentations, tying it gently to avoid cutting through the pastry.

Brush the pastries with the beaten egg. (This will give it a nice golden warm color after baking.)

Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let the pastries cool slightly, then carefully remove the thread or twine.

Insert a small piece of pretzel stick into the top of each pastry as a stem.

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