I Gave My Favorite Puerto Rican Dessert a Classic American Twist With These Pumpkin Pastelillos

As a child, Thanksgiving at my Puerto Rican Abuela's house looked almost nothing like a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner would. Instead of having a golden whole turkey as the centerpiece of her table, my Abuela's show-stopper protein was always a succulent, slow-roasted pork shoulder called pernil, surrounded by heaping trays of arroz con gandules, her signature potato salad, and warm pasteles (a Puerto Rican type of tamale). The dessert table was always equally as delicious and quintessentially Puerto Rican as the dinner table was, and while that is all-around a fantastic proposition for a big holiday meal, there was always one traditional American Thanksgiving flavor that I missed each year: pumpkin spice.

As an adult who can now contribute my own creations to the Thanksgiving table, I often find myself concocting original dishes or desserts that blend the classic Puerto Rican flavors I was brought up eating on Turkey Day with the American Thanksgiving staples that I've always loved. This year, I chose to recreate the flaky, buttery pastries (typically filled with guava) that my Abuela often served called pastelillos and give them a delicious pumpkin pie twist. The resulting pumpkin pie-filled pastelillos, stuffed with a sweet pumpkin pie filling and wrapped in a store-bought puff pastry that practically melts in your mouth with every bite, are an American-inspired twist on one of my favorite Puerto Rican desserts, and while my Abuela is no longer with us to share a Thanksgiving meal together, I have a feeling that she would love them, too.

If you'd rather have snack-sized pumpkin hand pies for your guests to enjoy instead of worrying about a big pumpkin pie that requires slicing and serving, give these Pumpkin Pie Pastelillos a try. And, if possible, same a few for me.