Yum. That’s all I have to say about these.

Y.U.M. YUM!

Seriously, I taste tested one (cook’s privilege you know), and quickly devoured 2 more as soon as they were cool enough to handle.

Could anything cheesy, garlicky, and wrapped in puff pastry every be a bad idea? Nope. And the best part? They’re so simple to make.

These are perfect for a Halloween potluck party – the puff pastry makes them sophisticated enough for an adult crowd, while the adorable pumpkin shape lends itself well to actually children…or maybe just the kid in all of us.

Ingredients (makes about 16 depending on cookie cutter size):

• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, parmesan and garlic. Set aside.

3. Roll out the puff pastry dough until each sheet is about 1/16 of an inch thick. (Better to err on the side of slightly too thick than too thin.)

4. Using a small, pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out little dough pumpkins from one sheet and lay them on your parchment paper lined tray until the tray is filled. The pumpkins should be spaced about an inch apart.

5. Using a small spoon, place a small (think quarter-sized) scoop of the pumpkin mixture on top of each pastry pumpkin and press down lightly. Use your cookie cutter to create more pastry pumpkins and lay one on top of the pumpkin/parm topped pastry pieces. Press the edges together to seal the pastry around the pumpkin/parm mixture.

6. Melt the butter in a microwave and stir in the paprika. Using a pastry brush, or the back of a spoon, lightly paint each pumpkin with the melted butter.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden on top. Repeat the process with any remaining puff pastry and pumpkin mixture!