Spiral Pumpkin Twists with Maple Cream
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Oct 02, 2015, Updated Jan 04, 2019
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I was haunted by this image from Pinterest for like a week straight. It’s so beautiful. A star made of layers of flakey puff pastry with ground cinnamon and chocolate weaved throughout. And, easy. So, so easy. Mainly because there’s not much to make—it’s just assembly!
This is the perfect thing for one of those nights or days when you’re invited totally last minute to a party or gathering and you need something fun and exciting and easy to put in the oven. This is the answer!
Hopefully for the whole month of October and November, you’ll have a can of pumpkin in your pantry because it’s a rule during fall, not sure if you knew this.
I made this a few times because the first time I made this LA weather was actually terribly un-fall-like and the puff pastry was melting and didn’t puff up at all. Not to worry, the second time was a charm.
I paired it with a simple maple syrup whipped cream spiked with a dollop of creme fraiche for some added tang that goes so nicely with the buttery, flakiness.
Spiral Pumpkin Twists with Maple Cream
Ingredients
Spiral Pumpkin:
- 2 sheets of round puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg yolk
Maple Cream:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon creme fraiche
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment on your work surface. (I find it easiest to assemble this on a piece of parchment and then move it to the baking sheet.) Unroll the first piece of puff pastry and lay it on the piece of parchment.
- To a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Spread the pumpkin puree, in an even layer, all over the (12-inch) round or puff pastry, like you would a pizza with marinara sauce, stopping about 1/2-inch from the edges. Place the second round of puff pastry on top, pressing it down slightly, pushing out any air bubbles.
- At this point, since I was taking a bit of time, I found my puff pastry to be too soft to cut, so I transferred it to the freezer for 5 minutes. When I took it out, it was perfect. (If yours is flimsy, I suggest doing this, too.) Set a small drinking glass in the center of the puff pastry circle and start by cutting the pastry in 4, starting at the edge of the glass and going outward. Then slice each quarter into 2. And then cut each eighth into 3. You should end up with about 24 twists, but really you'll be ok as long as you don't make the twists too big.
- Twist each strip gently, starting at the center and then working your way outward, giving the twist support the entire time, to avoid breakage. I gave each strip about 5 to 6 turns. Repeat with the remaining strips. If the ends are jagged, feel free to take a sharp paring knife and trim the ends. Remove the glass and brush the entire thing with egg yolk and transfer to the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until evenly golden brown.
- Meanwhile, in a stand-up mixer (you can also use a hand-mixer), combine the heavy cream, creme fraiche and maple syrup. Beat until soft peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve alongside the spiral twists.
HI, just one question, I live in Spain and how can I make DIY pumpkin puree?
and what are the ingredients of Pumpkin spice?
I would really like to try this one!!
Thanks
Yes! You can roast any squash whether it be acorn squash or pumpkin or delicata in the oven. You’ll want to cut it in half and put it flesh side down onto a baking sheet and then put in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. After the squash is done cooking, you can scoop out the seeds and discard them. Put the flesh in a food processor and pulse until very smooth. There’s your puree! The pumpkin spice is super easy. To make it, follow this recipe:
https://www.acozykitchen.com/how-to-make-pumpkin-pie-spice/
Thanks a lot!
i am sorry i sent this duplicate times, i am new to the internet, and i wasn,t sure if i did it right the first couple of times. any help will be appreciated by this senior citizen.
No worries, Judy! Thanks for reading. 🙂
i don,t know where to find creme fraiche. most sites i looked up gave a recipe that had to sit for 12 hours before using. can,t i just buy this at a store? thank you
i don,t know where to find creme fraiche. most sites i looked up gave a recipe that had to sit for 12 hours before using. can,t i just buy this at a store? thank you
You can absolutely buy it. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. It’s usually about $3 a container!
That is such a cool spiral, I love it!! I imagine you could fill it with just about anything, but pumpkin is so perfect for autumn. Lovely photos of you making it too <3
CANNOT get over how amazing this looks, oh my god. I want to go into my kitchen and make one right this second. Thanks for the inspiration! xo
I love that it resembles a the sun – rays and all! We need all the sun we can get as the days get shorter! I bet the sun never tasted so yummy!
This is such a unique dessert! I’m not sure I have the patience for making it but it is certainly pretty to look at.
thank you a lot ! your recipe and your photos are scrumptious!!! I look forward to October the 6th to discover your book!
Thank you Dorian. SO SWEET!
I adore simple yet elegant recipes like this one!
Such a beautiful recipe. I love cooking with puff pastry as it looks so elegant but is usually so easy to work with. I have not heard of the brand you used and looked it up on the Internet but it did not show where it can be purchased. I will check our Whole Foods. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe and enjoy your weekend.