Today I propose a Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon without Butter perfect for autumn pies or winter cookies, as my friend Gaia says who tried them today. I would dare to say you can make Halloween Pumpkin Cookies, fragrant and delicious with hazelnut cream. This, in fact, will be the next recipe you’ll find on the blog of Le Ricette di Bea. A simple recipe, for a butter-free shortcrust pastry with cinnamon, with a typically autumnal flavor, perfect for breakfast or snacks for children. Of course, we adults do eat cookies, but let’s face it, a good cake or plumcake is more gratifying. At least for me, breakfast should be more indulgent than a cookie.
Anyone who follows my blog and knows me for a while knows that I’m not good with shortcrust pastry, in fact, I’d say they never turn out well, and especially the pies or cookies are never soft and delicious as I like. Since the pandemic, however, I’ve developed a certain interest in pies and have written so many recipes in my notebook that I think I’ve studied enough to go from theory to practice. So yesterday I decided, let’s get the necessary ingredients for this recipe, and this morning I tried! After spending the day in the Giallo Zafferano Editorial Office in Milan, I couldn’t not put myself to the test as the talented Giovanni did.
Here I am presenting you my recipe for Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon, without butter and with only one egg. With little sugar but lots of taste and flavor, it’s like opening grandma’s pantry and finding those aromas that take you back in time. That homey taste, of goodness, of old-fashioned deliciousness. The cinnamon has the magical power to awaken those memories of being a happy child with a yellow and blue apron holding some dough to play with. And if you too were happy children like me, go buy some cinnamon powder, a pumpkin, and prepare this butter-free shortcrust pastry with me! I forgot to tell you that there’s no milk in this recipe either. So, a shortcrust pastry without milk and butter, perfect for everyone who is lactose intolerant!!
If you’re thinking about some Halloween Recipes and want to surprise your children or grandchildren, you can prepare: Puff Pastry Bats with Nutella or some cute Sausage Mummies with puff pastry. Since you’ve bought the pumpkin, and for this shortcrust pastry with cinnamon, you’ll only need 50 grams of pumpkin, I invite you to use the rest to make these delicious Pumpkin Muffins, perfect for snacks. Don’t forget to try the Vegetable Soup with Pumpkin recipe, perfect during autumn and winter. Rich in legumes and vegetables, easy and delicious to accompany with oven-toasted bread.
Remember that you can become a follower of various social profiles of the Le Ricette di Bea blog, choosing between: the Facebook fan page by clicking here, the Instagram profile by clicking here, or the brand new TikTok profile by clicking here. I’ll be waiting for you with lots of recipes, of course, but also many other live content from my kitchen and beyond!
Before leaving you to the recipe for shortcrust pastry without butter and with pumpkin and cinnamon, I’ll leave you with some other shortcrust pastry recipes for pies that I’ve tried over the years. From Jam Pie to Pies with Hazelnut Cream and Mascarpone, from Peach Pie to those with cream and sour cherries. Or to cocoa shortcrust pastry to prepare Nutellotti. Every blue link that follows is clickable and will take you straight to the recipe of your choice!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 15 cookies or a pie
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 434.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 63.95 (g) of which sugars 19.37 (g)
- Proteins 9.09 (g)
- Fat 18.40 (g) of which saturated 3.09 (g)of which unsaturated 14.37 (g)
- Fibers 5.49 (g)
- Sodium 420.24 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or white sugar)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin (blanched)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsps ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt (half for blanching pumpkin, half for dough)
Tools for Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon
- 1 Pot
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Scale
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Plastic Wrap
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Plate
Steps to Prepare Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon:
Let’s start preparing the Shortcrust Pastry without Butter with Pumpkin and Cinnamon by handling the pumpkin first. Take about 50 grams of pumpkin, place it on a wooden cutting board, and with a knife, cut it into small cubes. Bring a pot of slightly salted water to a boil and blanch the pumpkin for about 10 minutes. After this time, drain the pumpkin and quickly rinse it under cold water from the tap. Now blend the blanched pumpkin in a chopper with the measure of vegetable oil. Set aside.
Now take a large bowl with high edges and pour all the flour into it. Add the all-purpose flour, sugar, 4 grams of baking powder (in my case vanilla-flavored), and cinnamon. Oh, what an aroma!!! Give a light stir with a spoon or your hands.
In the center, crack the egg and add the pumpkin blended with the vegetable oil. Pour in the remaining half of the salt and work the dough with your hands until you get a firm and sticky dough.
Take a piece of plastic wrap and wrap the shortcrust pastry. Can you smell that aroma??? Place the cinnamon shortcrust pastry in the refrigerator to rest for at least 20 – 30 minutes.
After this time, it will be ready to be rolled out with a rolling pin. You can have fun and get creative with lots of recipes. From pie crusts with pumpkin and cinnamon to cookies like I did.
The baking of this shortcrust should occur at 350°F in static mode. If you are preparing cookies with pumpkin and cinnamon, the baking time will be about 15 to 18 minutes. If you are making pies with cinnamon shortcrust without butter, and thus adding creams to the surface, you can extend the baking time from 22 to a maximum of 25 minutes.
Remember that I’ll be waiting for you on the blog with many other easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one, and I wish you a good appetite!!!
Prepare the Halloween Cookies with your children or grandchildren; they will be delicious and fragrant. Choose between Nutella or jam for the filling, you’ve already read the recipe for the pumpkin and cinnamon shortcrust, save or print it, so you don’t lose it!
Storage of Shortcrust Pastry with Pumpkin and Cinnamon without Butter:
Since this is a butter-free shortcrust pastry and thus missing an important fat component, know that you can store it in a cake container, in the case of a pie, for a maximum of three or four days. In the case of making cookies, you can store them in a container with a lid, whether plastic or metal, for a maximum of four or five days. If you have those beautiful tin cookie containers, you can also gift your cinnamon and pumpkin cookies to friends and relatives. I’m sure it will be a great success!
