Brie Pumpkin Puffs

My fall take on miniature Brie en Croute, easy to assemble and delicious. A piece of brie, filling of your choice, enclosed in puff pastry shaped like pumpkins, topped with almonds, brushed with an orange-colored egg wash. When baked they puff up into mini pumpkins, crispy on the outside, gooey and cheesy on the inside, with a hint of sweet, or spicy, filling. 

I used 3 different fillings that we all loved, hot pepper jelly, caramel apple cider jelly and pumpkin butter, feel free to use your favorite. 

These make wonderful appetizers, a great addition to your cheese plate, fun treats at a Halloween party, and, if you keep them sweet, a yummy dessert bite.

I made two different sizes, you're only limited by the cookie cutters you have! One sheet of puff pastry yielded 6 larger bites and 10 one bite pumpkin puffs. 
 

You'll need:

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed according to package directions
Small amount of AP flour, for rolling out dough
Small wedge of Brie cheese (4 oz. is plenty), frozen for 20 minutes for easier cutting
2-4 Tbsp. filling(s) of your choice (I used Hot Pepper Jelly, Caramel Apple Cider Jelly, and Pumpkin Butter)
1 egg white plus 1 Tbsp. water, evenly divided in 2 small bowls (easiest to whisk first, then separate) 
Almond slivers, untoasted (to be exact, I used 44) 
Pastry brushes
Orange food coloring, optional (I prefer gel paste)
Pumpkin shaped cookie cutters, I used one 1.5-inch diameter, and one 2.5-inch diameter.

If you want orange pumpkin puffs, color one bowl of egg wash as orange as you want it. For my puffs I used a small toothpick dipped in gel paste, blended with a fork it turned orange with very little gel paste needed. 

Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I baked my two sizes on different sheets, but they ended up taking the same amount of time.

You have the option of removing the rind from your Brie, we enjoy ours without. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces for 2.5 inch diameter pumpkins, 1/4-inch pieces for 1.5-inch diameter pumpkins. Place pieces on waxed, or parchment paper, and refrigerate while preparing dough.

Unwrap and roll out dough, on a lightly floured surface, smoothing the creases into an even sheet. 

Cut as many pumpkin shapes as you can get, I made 10 small ones, 6 larger ones. Don't re-roll the scraps. 

Flip over half of the pumpkins so when you flip them on the other half the shapes will match. 

If at any point during the process the dough is getting too soft, place it in the fridge about 10 minutes to keep it chilled. 

For the small pumpkins use 1/4 tsp. filling, top with piece of Brie, brush inside rim of each pumpkin with plain egg wash. 

For the larger pumpkins use 1/2 tsp. filling, top with piece of Brie, brush inside rim of each pumpkin with plain egg wash.

Because I like a good portion of filling, I usually topped each pumpkin half with filling, but one piece of cheese per pumpkin. Feel free to add the amount you prefer, just make sure not to overfill or you won't get a good seal.

Invert pumpkin tops and press around all edges to seal. 

Move filled pumpkins to parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with orange-colored egg wash. Push almond slivers slightly into dough on pumpkins to create sections.

Bake at 375 for 13-18 minutes until puffed and golden, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

Place on cooling rack and let rest 10 minutes.

As you can see, some leaked during baking, when resting the cheese will set back up and they'll still be delicious.

Depending on the filling you choose these can be sweet or savory, wonderful alone, or with an assortment of crackers and fruit. 

Please enjoy my Brie Pumpkin Puffs! Happy Halloween!