Flaky, buttery, homemade puff pastry is filled with a spiced pumpkin caramel that's naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and twisted up into beautiful swirls that will remind you of pumpkin pie. Dusted with a cinnamon sugar topping and baked until golden brown, these elegant pastries are perfect for a fall brunch or dessert.
Makes 12 pastries
Ingredients
Puff Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
10 oz salted butter, cold and diced
½ cup ice water
Pumpkin Caramel
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp salted butter
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup pure pumpkin
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tsp water
¼ cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Puff Pastry
Place the flour, salt, and cinnamon into a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse for a few seconds 5 or 6 times. Drizzle the water into the food processor and mix continuously at low speed until the dough forms a ball.
Turn the dough ball out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle, dusting with more flour if the dough becomes sticky. (You don't want to use too much flour so the pastry doesn't dry out, but using too little flour will make the dough sticky and hard to work with.) Use a bench scraper to scrape under the top third of dough and fold it over on top of the dough rectangle. Do the same thing with the bottom third of dough so you have three layers. Turn the rectangle so it is facing you vertically and repeat the process of rolling, scraping, and folding until you have done this 10 times to develop the flaky layers. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
Make the pumpkin caramel while the dough is chilling.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and place on a clean well-floured work surface. Lightly dust a rolling pin and the top of the pastry with flour. Roll the pastry out into a rectangle ¼-inch thick.
Spoon the pumpkin caramel over the pastry and use an offset spatula to completely evenly spread the pumpkin to the edges. (You want a very thin layer because any excess will just squeeze out.)
Cut the pastry sheet lengthwise into 12 (½-inch wide) strips. Take each strip and fold in half lengthwise to enclose the filling. Gently twist each strip several times, and then roll into a coil.
Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten wash. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly on top of each pastry.
Bake the pastries for 30-35 minutes or until they are deep golden brown. Enjoy while still warm!
Pumpkin Caramel
Place the maple syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes, or until the syrup thickens, becomes a deep amber color, and smells like caramel. (Be careful because the syrup can burn very quickly.)
Add the butter to the caramel and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly until the butter has melted and is incorporated. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.
Add the pumpkin and whisk together until smooth. Allow the caramel to cool completely. (You won't need a lot of filling so there will likely be some leftover.)
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