Penzey's Pumpkin Puffs

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh sugar pie pumpkin, cubed and peeled (approximately 1/2 of a small sugar pumpkin or 4 cups canned pumpkin puree (unflavored)
• 1/2-1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar, to taste
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 -2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (make your own! see exceptional pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice - traditional old fashioned english pudding spice) or 1/2-1 teaspoon english pudding, spice (make your own! see exceptional pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice - traditional old fashioned english pudding spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil (original recipe specifies 1 cup)
• powdered sugar
• maple syrup (optional)

Recipe

• 1 if using fresh pumpkin the original recipe states: bring a large pot of water to boil. add the pumpkin and cook until it is fork tender, approximately 15 minutes. drain well and cooled. however, if i were to make this with fresh pumpkin, my first choice would be to bake the pumpkin, followed by steaming. boiling would be a last resort.
• 2 place the cooked and cooled fresh pumpkin or the canned pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. if using fresh pumpkin, mash with a potato masher, immersion blender or electric mixer.
• 3 add 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, egg yolk, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. mix well.
• 4 if the mixture is too liquid-y, add more flour.
• 5 taste for sweetness and add more brown sugar if necessary.
• 6 refrigerate 30-45 minutes. do not skip this step.
• 7 heat oil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan (original recipe specifies a frying pan). note: i never use as much oil as a recipe calls for with deep frying-perhaps 1/2 cup at most. place a paper towel on a plate.
• 8 for small puffs, drop the mix by greased teaspoon into the pan (or greased tablespoon if you want larger puffs). tip: grease the utensil on both sides. *don't* crowd the pan with too many puffs at one time.
• 9 cook on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes for the smaller puffs, and 3-4 minutes for the larger.
• 10 once cooked, use a slotted spoon and place puffs on the paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
• 11 transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. if desired, drizzle puffs with a little bit of real maple syrup.