These little turnovers are crunchy on the outside with a light, smooth filling and can be enjoyed hot or cold. By leaving out the cream used in a traditional pumpkin pie, these turnovers are significantly lower in fat, and they are easily made vegan with butter-free pastry.

Makes 12

Ingredients

220g (1 cup) pumpkin purée (see note below)
75g (1/2 cup, lightly packed) Demerara (light brown) sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cinnamon
small pinch salt
2 sheets puff pastry dough (see note below)
25g (2 tbsp) granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
30g (2 tbsp) butter (or margarine)

Directions

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Thaw pastry dough if frozen.

In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon and salt.

Using a 12cm (4 3/4″) round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles of pastry dough.

Put a tablespoon of pumpkin mixture in the middle of a dough circle, use a finger dipped in water to moisten the edge of the dough, fold it in half and crimp the edges closed with a fork. Transfer to baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough circles and filling.

Melt the butter. In a small bowl, mix together the white sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Brush the tops of the turnovers with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip a small vent in the top of each turnover.

Bake for 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.

Notes: If your pumpkin purée is very watery, line a strainer with muslin or fine cheesecloth, pour the purée into it and let it drain over a bowl for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. It needs to be quite thick. The drained liquid is great added to soup or stock.
My dough sheets were 42 x 26cm (about 16 1/2 x 10″) so I easily got 6 out of each sheet, but the number of sheets you need will depend on size.