Baking Adventure: Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties

Happy New Year, everyone! For my first post of 2012, I wanted to pay homage to another one of my favorite book series - Harry Potter! One of Harry's first treats on the Hogwarts Express is pumpkin pasties. (Apparently, it's pronounced "past-ees" and not "paste-ees.") The characters enjoy them throughout the series so I knew I just had to try to make them.

Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties

For the crust, I used Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough recipe. This was my first time making pie crust from scratch (though I've made pastry crust for tarts before) and I can honestly say, I'm in love with this pie crust. It's flaky and buttery and not tough at all! It browns beautifully and is easy to work with. The vodka really is the magic ingredient! Trust me, you won't taste the vodka at all. The alcohol evaporates as your pie/pasties bake.

For the pumpkin filling, I mixed the following ingredients:

• 1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

To form the pasties,

1. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. 
2. Use a bowl and cut out circles that are about 4 inches in diameter. 
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of pumpkin filling in the center of each circle.
4. Use water to dampen the edges of the crust. 
5. Fold over the crust and seal the edge with a fork.
6. Use a knife to cut vents on the top of the crust.
7. Bake for 30 minutes (or until golden brown) at 350 degrees F, rotating the baking pan half way through.

There you have it, a little piece of Harry Potter's magical world! I hope 2012 brings more tasty treats and fun adventures.