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Perfect Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies for Your Halloween Party

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These mini pumpkin hand pies are everything you want in a fall dessert—portable, perfectly spiced, and completely impossible to mess up. They’re forgiving, adorable, and taste like autumn in a single, perfect bite.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 6–8 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
  • Turbinado sugar or coarse sparkling sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together. If dry, add remaining water one tablespoon at a time. Turn out onto a floured surface, bring together into a disc, wrap in plastic, an…
  2. Make the filling: While dough chills, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Let it cook, swirling occasionally, until golden brown and nutty (about 3-4 minutes). Add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until thickened and pulling away from sides. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and egg yolk. Let cool completely.
  3. Assemble the hand pies: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out chilled dough to about ⅛-inch thickness. Cut out circles with a 3-inch cutter. Place half the circles on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cooled filling onto the center of each circle, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with remaining circles. Press edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. Cut 2-3 small slits on top for steam to esc…
  4. Bake: Brush each hand pie with egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until tops are deep golden brown and filling bubbles slightly through slits. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

Temperature control is everything: cold butter, cold water, chilled dough. If your kitchen is warm, pop the assembled pies in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking. Don’t overfill—1 tablespoon per pie is plenty. Brush edges with water before sealing to prevent leaks. Rotate baking sheet halfway through for even browning. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. For vegan, use cold vegan butter and a flax egg. Hand pies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: mini pumpkin hand pies, Halloween dessert, pumpkin hand pies, fall dessert, hand pies, pumpkin pie, Halloween party food

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