These mini pumpkin fried pies are a nod to everything that is good about Oklahoma fried pies and fall!
We had our friends Tim and Aubry for dinner (where were ate this galbi jjim for dinner) and we somehow fell onto the topic of food (as you do), and fried pies came up. Like the famous Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies from Southeast Oklahoma. And someone said, “what about PUMPKIN FRIED PIES” and there was a gasp. I scribbled it down and I knew it had to be done.
These pies are mini, because the real ones are so big and rich! You can’t possibly eat a whole one and feel good about it afterwards. Trust me. I know. We found out there was one in Claremore and maaaaaybe went up there on a random afternoon.
The main key to fried pies is keeping the filling inside so that you don’t end up with a big mess. To fold ours, I folded it up but didn’t match the edges together, so the bottom edge was longer. I then folded that edge over and tucked it in. Fry until done! (I didn’t wait long enough, so I had to bake some of them. But they were stil excellent!) To prevent air pockets, try to limit the amount of air that gets trapped when you’re folding. Some will be inevitably puffy, but that’s kind of what makes ’em cute!
Local Spotlight: I used a local butternut squash to make a puree! Other than that, the pure IDEA is local, yeah??
Do you like pumpkin everything? There was a lively discussion on the Question of the Day on the 918 Plate Facebook page about this the other day. Want more discussion? Join the 918 Plate Community Facebook Group! Ask questions, show off your food creations and make friends!
xxHillary
Mini Pumpkin Fried Pies
Ingredients
- 3 store bought refrigerated pie crusts
- 1/3 C. sugar
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 5 C. frying oil of choice I used canola
Filling:
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/8 t. nutmeg
- 1/8 t. allspice
- 1/8 t. cloves
- 1/8 t. ginger
- 3 T. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 C. pumpkin or butternut squash puree
Instructions
- Cut 3 inch circles from the pie crusts, getting as many as you can out of the crust. You can re-roll the scraps also.
- Roll out each circle to be thinner, until they’re about 4 inches across. They should be very thin (so you can almost see through them)
- Place a small spoon of filling in the center of the dumpling, and crimp in edges to seal. (I folded and left a lip around the bottom layer, to fold in onto the front layer)
- In a Dutch oven or deep pan, bring oil to 350 degrees.
- Drop in dumplings into pan, frying for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove to drain.
- Combine 1/3 C. sugar and 1/2 t. cinnamon in a small cup.
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over hot pie.
- *If the crusts are not quite done in the center, you can place them on a baking rack and bake at 400 for 10 minutes to complete the process.*
- #enJOY!
Recipe Notes
Dairy Free and Vegetarian depending on your pie crusts.
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