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Soft and flakey jack-o’-lantern hand pies stuffed with a sweet pumpkin filling. They’re made with just a couple simple ingredients, and are just the right ratio of dough to filling! These pumpkin hand pies are a fun alternative to traditional pumpkin pie, and are gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free. They can even be made nut free and sugar free!
Where did you get your pumpkin cookie cutters?
I found these pumpkin cookie cutters on Amazon! They’re only a couple dollars and they work so well. I used the larger size (4inch) pumpkin cookie cutter for these hand pies! To make jack-o’-lantern pumpkins, simply cut out eyes and a smile on the pumpkins using a sharp paring knife.
What ingredients will I need to make these pumpkin hand pies?
You’ll need just a couple simple ingredients to make these jack-o’-lantern pumpkin hand pies. Here’s the shopping list!
- gluten free all purpose flour (or sub regular all purpose flour)
- salt
- cinnamon
- coconut sugar (or sub monk fruit or other granulated sugar)
- coconut oil (or sub regular or vegan butter)
- cold water
- eggs
- pumpkin puree
- dairy free plain yogurt (or sub regular yogurt)
What kind of gluten free all purpose flour did you use?
I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour in this recipe and it turned out perfectly! Another good option would be King Arthur Baking Company gluten free all purpose flour.
How do I make the recipe nut free?
To keep the recipe nut free, simply use regular or vegan butter in place of the coconut oil and use a different granulated sweetener instead of coconut sugar. Monk fruit, brown sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar should all work! I haven’t tried this recipe with regular or vegan butter, but it should work okay.
Where can I find dairy free yogurt?
You can find dairy free yogurt at most grocery stores! I personally like to use Forager Project unsweetened plain or unsweetened vanilla bean cashew milk yogurt. It’s delicious and made with just a couple simple ingredients.
Can I substitute the yogurt?
Yes! If you want to substitute the yogurt with plain cream cheese (regular or dairy free), that should work well and taste delicious! Another option is to substitute the yogurt with coconut cream.
How do I make the recipe sugar free?
To make the recipe sugar free, simply use monk fruit instead of the coconut sugar and be sure to use unsweetened yogurt!
How do I store these jack-o’-lantern hand pies?
You’ll want to store these pumpkin hand pies in the fridge! Simply place them in a sealed container and store for up to 4 days.
Can I use a different filling?
Yes! If you want to fill these hand pies with a cinnamon sugar filling, cinnamon sugar apples, or any other delicious pie filling, go right ahead.
Still hungry?
Try some of these other desserts! They’re all easier (and dare I say tastier) takes on classic pies!
- Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Paleo Pecan Tarts
Ready to make these delicious pumpkin hand pies? The full recipe is below!
Jack-O’-Lantern Pumpkin Hand Pies
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (or sub regular all purpose flour)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or sub regular or vegan butter, cut into cubes)
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBS cold water
- 1 egg
For the Pumpkin Filling
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup dairy free plain yogurt (or sub regular yogurt)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or sub a different granulated sugar)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Other Ingredients
- 1 egg (for the egg wash)
Instructions
- Add the flour, salt, coconut oil, water and egg to a large dish and mix until a thick dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add in 1-2 additional tablespoons cold water. If the dough is too sticky, add in a bit more flour. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead gently until the flour and oil are fully incorporated and the dough is smooth.
- Divide the dough into 2 balls and cover with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the fridge for 2+ hours, or overnight.
- While the dough chills, make the pumpkin filling: add the pumpkin puree, yogurt, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt to a medium sized dish and mix until smooth. Place mixture in the fridge to chill.
- Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and place the first dough ball on the parchment paper. Cover the dough ball with another piece of parchment paper and gently roll out the dough using a rolling pin, rolling directly over the parchment paper.
- Once the dough is rolled out, cut out as many pumpkins as possible using a 4 inch pumpkin cookie cutter. Then, using a sharp paring knife, cut out eyes and a smile on half of the pumpkins. Remove the excess dough from around the pumpkins and set it aside.
- Next, transfer the pumpkin cut outs to a baking tray (leave the pumpkins on the parchment paper and simply pick up the parchment paper and place it on a baking tray). Place the tray in the fridge to allow the dough to harden.
- Repeat steps 4-6 with the second dough ball, as well as with any excess dough scraps.
- Allow the pumpkin cut outs to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the dough chills, whisk one egg in a small dish to use as an egg wash. Once chilled, remove the pumpkin cut outs from the fridge.
- Brush the edges of the pumpkins without a face with the egg wash. Add a large spoonful of the pumpkin filling to the center of the pumpkins without a face. Then gently place a pumpkin cut out with a face over each filled pumpkin. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal in the filling. Then brush the remaining egg wash over the pumpkin cut outs with a face.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once preheated, bake the pumpkin hand pies for 15-20 minutes. Once baked, remove the hand pies from the oven and let them cool. Once cooled, serve and enjoy!