Tuesday, June 26, 2012

HOLY PUMPKIN POPTARTS!

Keeping with my "pumpkin theme" this week... who doesn't love pumpkin pie? But it takes so long to make from scratch, and the storebought versions just don’t do it justice. Thank goodness for poptarts! Inspired by their speedy, must-have-pie-now format, the amazing Brooke Mclay from the Family Kitchen website conjured a cookie sheet full of palm-sized pumpkin pies in less than 20 minutes! I know, I told you she was amazing!

Half the fun of these pumpkin poptarts, of course, is carving your own designs into the top crust before placing it over the filling. Brooke used a small paring knife to do the carving, and found that a prepared pie crust pulled straight out of a cold fridge made carving a super simple task. If your kids are too young to do the carving themselves, invite them to draw a face into their pumpkins with a toothpick before you carve out their artsy, Halloween creations. Then sprinkle your poptarts with sugar before baking, but the poptarts are equally delicious when glazed fresh out of the oven. Here's Brooke's recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 package refrigerated pie crust

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, and egg.
Unroll pie crusts, cut the edges off to make a large square, then cut the pie crust into three equal rectangles (about 2″ x 3″).
Spoon a small amount of pumpkin mixture into the center of one of the rectangles, taking care to not let the filling ooze near the edges.
Use a small paring knife to carve jack-o-lantern faces into a second rectangle.
Gently lay the carved piece over the pumpkin filling, then press the edges firmly together with a fork.
Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or just until the edges of the poptart begin to turn golden brown.
In a large bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla.
Drizzle glaze over hot pumpkin poptarts.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack before serving.

And for more fantastic, family fun with food.... check out The Family Kitchen!