Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties

Inspired by the beloved Harry Potter series, these magical Pumpkin Pasties feature buttery cinnamon pastry, a sweet pumpkin filling, and a perfectly drizzled glaze.

If you've read the Harry Potter series, you might remember the trolley cart on the train to Hogwarts, filled with candies, sweets, and, of course, pumpkin pasties. Rereading the books with my kids, and seeing the story come alive through their eyes has brought a new sense of magic I didn’t fully experience the first time around.

When we got to the part about the students' first train ride to Hogwarts, I found myself imagining what a pumpkin pasty might look and taste like, since I've never actually had or seen one myself. While the book gives no description as to whether or not it is savory or sweet (and there is much debate to this fact), my own imagination dreamed up a rich and sweet handheld pumpkin pastry, complete with a sweet glaze.

This recipe is what I pictured Harry and all the other Hogwarts students enjoying as they rode along to their first day of school of witchcraft and wizardry. And, the joy on my own children's faces as I let them eat their own pumpkin pasty is one I'll cherish forever. If you have Harry Potter loving kids (or grown ups) in your life, I guarantee making this for them will give you as much joy as they will have when eating it.

How to Make Them

Consider this a “project” recipe, but definitely not a difficult one! Making a pumpkin pasty involves a few steps, so plan to spread the process over two days. Here's what you’ll do:

1. Make and chill the dough (ideally for 12 hours, but at least 2).
2. Mix up the pumpkin filling.
3. Roll out the dough, fill, and bake the pasties.
4. Finish by glazing the baked pasties.

Don’t worry—this article and recipe will walk you through everything you need to know to make them successfully. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.

Jump to:

• How to Make Them
• Making the Pastry
• Rolling Out the Pastry
• Making the Filling and Assembly
• How to Crimp
• Baking Tips
• Don't Forget the Glaze
• Storing Pumpkin Pasties
• More Pumpkin Recipes:
• More Mini Pastries
• Full Recipe

Making the Pastry

The pastry dough in this recipe is not traditional flaky american pie dough, but instead it's more like a shortcrust. I wanted the pastry to be crumbly, tender and sweet. I also loved the idea of it being a light golden brown color, so I added in cinnamon to the dough.

The dough is made in a food processor. Instead of leaving large chunks of butter in the dough, as you would for regular pie dough, the instructions call for running the processor until the dough clumps together around the blade. This ensures the butter is worked into the dough enough, which will prevent the dough from rising too much in the oven. A touch of sugar is added to the dough, as well as a bit of milk, to make the pastry more flavorful and tender.

What Size to Cut Out the Circles

Next, you need to stamp or cut out circles to make the pasties the correct size. I recommend making a 4-½-inch to 5-½-inch circle. I didn't have that size pastry cutter, so I just found a bowl that was that size and made an indentation with the rim of the bowl and then cut it out with a pairing knife. If you have a pastry cutter that size, lucky you, use that! Stamp out as many circles as you can with the rolled out dough, and then set aside the scraps. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.

Then, re-roll the scraps and roll them out one time. In total, you should be able to get 8-12 circles, depending on what size you make them.

Making the Filling and Assembly

Filling any sort of pastry is always a balance of adding in enough filling, but not too much that it leaks out. Depending on your actual size of the circle that was stamped out of your dough will dictate how much pumpkin filling you need to add.

Baking Tips

The most important step in the baking of these pasties is the chilling time beforehand. Chilling the filled pasties ensures that they keep their shape well. Chill the filled dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or ideally 1 hour, before baking.

Do note, the pasties made with the re-rolled scraps tend to shrink up when baked (unless you give the re-rolled dough a whole day to rest). As long as they're sealed well, they shouldn't leak out filling though.

These pumpkin pasties taste best when they are just lightly baked. The goal is to not get too much browning on the dough. They should be baked in the middle rack until the bottoms are lightly golden, about 25 minutes. If you prefer a more crisp dough, you can add an extra 5-7 minutes of baking.

Don't Forget the Glaze

The simple glaze on top is not to be forgotten! It’s very easy to make and consists of powdered sugar, a bit of milk, and a splash of vanilla extract. The goal of the glaze is to add a thin coating to the top of the pasty so it dries and adds a nice sweet textural component to it. The consistency should be similar to heavy cream.

If your glaze is too thin to adhere to the pasty, simply add in a tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time. If it’s too thick, add in more milk to thin it out. Once the pumpkin pasties are cool, spoon on about 2 tablespoons of glaze and gently smooth it down along the top. Alternatively, you can dunk the pasty into the glaze instead.

Storing Pumpkin Pasties

The pasties will keep well for up to 3 days, at room temperature, in a closed container. Just make sure that the glaze is completely set before you place them on top of one another. Un-frosted pasties can even be frozen, baked or unbaked, for up to 1 month in the freezer. Defrost at room temperature.

More Mini Pastries

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