The filling mixes up in just a few minutes and puff pastry provides a crisp shell.
Ingredients:
2 boxes frozen puff pastry, thawed (4 sheets total)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon rum extract or bourbon flavoring, heaping teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add pumpkin puree a spoonful at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the cream cheese and pumpkin mixture is smooth with no lumps of cream cheese. Add the egg and mix well, then the sugar and mix again. Combine with all remaining ingredients. Next, unfold thawed puff pastry and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut each sheet into 16 equal pieces (you may want to do one sheet at a time and leave the rest in the fridge while you work). Lightly grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and tuck each puff pastry square into the cup, then fill with pumpkin filling. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until pastry is cooked through and filling puffs up slightly. Serve warm or cool.
