Pumpkin Pie Pops!

As a kid, I loathed pumpkin.

Loaaaaaathed it.

I wasn’t a picky eater, I just thought that something as rotund and squashy as a pumpkin should be nowhere near my mouth.

Also, if you gut and carve something to sit outside and be eaten alive by gnats for weeks, it generally isn’t automatically associated as something I’d like in a pie. Just saying.

I fondly remember Thanksgiving meals ending with pie. Frozen pie, but who really cares about what was homemade, what was frozen, and what is still kinda frozen on the left side after a huge meal? (Okay, I still do care. That’s why I’ve insisted on taking care of desserts for Thanksgiving for the past several years).

Usually, my grandma would buy three kinds of pie: pumpkin, pecan, and key lime. Um, where is the apple? Banana cream? Strawberry? Throw me a bone here, grandma. This ain’t okay.

And as a kid, pecan looked like poop and key lime pie sounded about as appetizing as cheeseburger pie, which still doesn’t sound appetizing at all. I have problems with the idea of ground beef and ketchup inside of a casserole dish. Don’t ask.

So I’d get pumpkin, ask my grandma for an extra-extra-extra dollop of Cool Whip (screw it, hand me the tub and a spoon), scrape the whipped cream off lick by lick, and then hand back the pie. No joke.

Now, my tastes are more acquired and mature. I can handle the relationship between limes and pies, and I can get behind eating squash guts in a morbid-sorta way. Still shudder at cheeseburger pie, but that’s another story, y’all.

Pumpkin pie. It’s quintessential fall food, isn’t it? Spicy, rich, and comforting. And for these Pumpkin Pie Pops, easy and adorable! These pops are equal parts tasty and cute. They’re simple to make and are fun little gifts for neighbors, coworkers, classmates, friends, or your mouth. I mean, really.

The idea is not new and a bajillion blogs have done their versions of this easy pop, but I wanted to make my own. For this, I made both pops AND pockets so I could have options. People like options. For these, I closely followed THIS version by Miss Make. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Pops (and Pockets!) *recipe adapted from Miss Make’s recipe 

1 pkg refrigerated pie crusts
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
8 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp butter, melted
2 tsp beaten egg (crack an egg, beat it, and use 2 tsp–reserve the rest for brushing the pastry)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp cinnamon
Dash ginger
Cinnamon sugar
Popsicle sticks

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar, butter, 2 tsp egg, vanilla and spices until blended.
3. Gently roll out a pie crust. Cut pumpkins using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. If desired, cut out faces with a small sharp paring knife (be careful!). Make sure you have an equal amount of pumpkins as you’ll need two (back and a front) to form the pop/pockets.
4. Lay a pumpkin down on the prepared baking pan. Top with a teaspoon of mixture in the center, then gently press a popsicle stick into the mixture. Top the mixture with a second pumpkin (if you’re making faces, use those). Carefully press the edges of the pumpkins to seal. Crimp with a fork if desired. Repeat process.
5. If you’re just making pockets, repeat the same process minus the popsicle stick (obvi).
6. Very gently brush the pops/packets with the remaining egg, careful not to smear the pumpkin faces. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for approx. 16-19 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool several minutes before serving. They’re best eaten the same day, but store airtight in a paper bag up to 1-2 days if desired.

I mean, how cute are these pops!? It’s so fun trying to make their different little faces.

And the sad guy, anxious to be snacked on.

And the pockets! These. Are. Amazing.

Super cute!! I hope you enjoy!!

xo, Hayley

Tagged: halloween, pie, treats