Frosted Pumpkin Cheesecake Poptarts: Remember the Most Important Meal of the Day (Kind of…)

I, quite literally, have been waiting for this week, since about a year ago. IT’S THANKSGIVING WEEK, PEOPLE! And, yes, I mean Thanksgiving Week, because that’s how exciting this holiday is. It certainly deserves more than one day of celebration. The feeling that I feel when preparing for this upcoming day of cooking and feasting is similar to, if not more intense, than the feeling I get when I’m training for a race. There’s day-dreaming involved. There’s night-dreaming involved. There’s strategic planning involved. Spreadsheets, charts, and clipped recipes galore. If you couldn’t tell, I take Thanksgiving seriously. Very. Seriously. 

Unfortunately, on this day of ultimate foodiness, most Americans forget something essential… the most important meal of a normal day: breakfast. Think about it…when deciding what to put in the oven on Thanksgiving Day, turkey, stuffing, and veggie sides are normally on the menu. But, very rarely do people think about what to eat for breakfast that day! How do you expect to have the energy to slave over a hot stove without proper nutrition?! Well, you’re in luck, because I have the perfect solution: Frosted Pumpkin Cheesecake Poptarts. Okay, fine, these aren’t exactly the most nutritious pastries to fuel your days, but come on, are you really looking to be healthy on Thursday? The best part of these is that they can be made a day or two in advance, so that you can watch the parade peacefully without turning on the oven too early. Let’s get started!

You guys have made this crust with me before, a few times: with this banana cream pie and this salted caramel apple pie. If you’re looking for more detailed instructions, take a look there! But, to make a long story short here, you’ll be starting by making (or just as easily, buying) two discs of your favorite pie crust. Keep this refrigerated until it’s time for assembly.

Then, you have two fillings to make, both very simple. First, the cream cheese layer: mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with either a hand mixer or a fork. Then, very similarly, make the pumpkin layer by mixing together the pumpkin, sugar and spices with a spatula. While you’re at it, mix together that glaze you’ll use later! All it is, is confectioners sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

To assemble, you’ll take your pie crusts out of the refrigerator to sit at room temperature for a little while. If you decide to work with them right out of the refrigerator, you’ll need some super muscles. When you’re ready, roll the first disk into a large rectangle. Then, cut out smaller rectangles using a cookie cutter or knife.

On to each rectangle, you’ll spread a tablespoon of each filling: cream cheese first, then pumpkin. 

Roll out the second disk, and match a top rectangle to a bottom rectangle. Like a pie, you’ll crimp up the edges the old fashioned way, with a fork. Now, as you might notice, I tend to overstuff. Hence, the messy edges. If you’re an over-zealous stuffer like I am, but very particular about the asthetics, place your fingers on the opposite side from where you are crimping. This will prevent the filling from moving to the other side to escape.

Bake those breakfast treats for about 22 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the crusts are golden brown. The last part is the most arduous… waiting to brush on the glaze. You’ll want to wait until the pastries are completely cool, or else you’ll end up with a runny pool of frosting running around the edges of the poptart, instead staying of on top. 

There they are folks: the perfect Thanksgiving breakfast. Now, you may be thinking, “uhm Erin, this is most certainly not the poptart I know and love…it’s a hand pie!” Well, shh. It’s a poptart if I say it is. Not only will it give you some (sugary) fuel to start the day with, but it’ll prep you for the pumpkin you’ll inevitably be indulging in later on in the day. 

Frosted Pumpkin Cheesecake Poptarts

2016-11-07 19:02:02

Yields 8

Don't forget breakfast on Thanksgiving Day morning! (Or any other day for that matter...) Start off right with a poptart, filled with all things Fall.

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Dough

1. 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 8 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut in cubes
5. ½ cup ice-cold water

Filling

1. 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2. ¼ cup granulated sugar
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla
4. 1 (15oz) can pumpkin
5. ½ cup brown sugar
6. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
7. ½ teaspoon nutmeg
8. ½ teaspoon ginger
9. ¼ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1. ¾ cup confectioners sugar
2. 1 tablespoon milk
3. ½ teaspoon cinnamon
4. ½ teaspoon vanilla

To Make Pie Crust

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter and toss to coat.
2. Turn the mixture out on to a floured surface, and use a floured rolling pin to flatten the butter into sheets in the flour. Continue until butter is well distributed in dry ingredients.
3. Put mixture back into bowl and freeze for 10 minutes.
4. Remove bowl from freezer and add in water. Using your hand, clump the dough together until a ball forms. If still crumbly, add a teaspoon of water at a time until a ball forms.
5. Divide the dough into two even disks.
6. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To Make Fillings

1. In a medium-sized bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, using a fork or hand mixer. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar and spices. This can easily be hand mixed. Set aside.

To Make Glaze

1. Combine all of the ingredients well. Set aside.

To Assemble

1. Remove piecrust discs from the refrigerator. Allow them to sit on a counter, at room temperature, for 20 minutes before rolling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Roll out one disc into a large rectangle. The dough should be ¼ - 1/8 inch in thickness.
4. Use a knife or rectangular cookie cutter of your choice to cut out the bottom layers of your poptarts.
5. On to the bottom layer of each pastry, apply a tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Spread over the surface, leaving a ¼ inch border around the outside.
6. Repeat this step with the pumpkin filling, over the top of the cream cheese filling.
7. Roll out the second dough disk with the same thickness, cutting out rectangles.
8. Apply a top layer to each pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork.
9. Place the pastries on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking time.
10. Upon removing, allow the pastries to cool completely before brushing on the frosting.

The Bread and Breakfast http://thebreadandbreakfast.com/

Next week, since we’ll probably still be recovering from the gluttony of Thanksgiving, it’ll be time to think a bit more wholesomely. 

Until then, stay tuned and stay hungry!

Erin