Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 – 5 Tbsp ice water
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened slightly, just don't melt
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp half and half, plus more as needed
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the crust, put the flour, salt, and granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal; it should not be worked so long that it forms a dough, and the butter should no longer be in big chunks. Pour in 4 Tbsp water and pulse a few times. If the dough still will not clump, add the remaining 1 Tbsp water. Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface, bring it together into a ball, and split it into 2 portions. Pat each portion into about a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. While the dough chills, make the filling.
2. For the pumpkin pie filling, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. With a rubber spatula, stir everything together, pressing the spatula against the sides of the bowl to smooth out any lumps. Spoon the pumpkin puree onto several layers of paper towels, wrap it up, and press out some of the extra moisture, continuing until the pumpkin measures 3/4 cup. Stir the reduced pumpkin into the cream cheese mixture along with the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the filling until you are ready to assemble the pop tarts.
3. Prepare 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Use 1 chilled disk of dough at a time, leaving the other in the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 13 by 11 inches. If the edges split a bit as you roll, pinch them closed and keep going. Trim the dough to a 12 by 10-inch rectangle so the edges are even. Cut it into 8 rectangles, each 5 by 3-inch, by slicing it in half along the long side and then making 3 cuts the other way.
4. Place 4 of the rectangles on a prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Spread a slightly heaping 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie filling down the center of each rectangle, keeping about a 3/4-inch border bare on every side. Wet your fingertips with water and trace the uncovered edges of the dough. Lay another rectangle over each filled piece, press the edges closed with your fingertips, and then crimp them again with a fork. Use a fork to prick the center of each tart 3 times. Cover the sheet and move it to the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Do the same rolling, cutting, filling, sealing, pricking, and freezing with the remaining disk of dough.
5. Once the tarts are chilled, set 1 oven rack near the upper third of the oven and a 2nd rack near the lower third. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the frozen tarts until golden, rotating the pans between the racks once halfway through, about 25 – 30 minutes. Let them sit on the baking sheet for several minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
6. For the icing, whisk the icing ingredients together well in a mixing bowl. Add more half and half, about 1/2 tsp at a time, until the icing reaches the consistency you want. Spread it over the cooled pop tarts, leaving a small border bare around the edges. Add sprinkles on top if desired, and let the glaze set at room temperature. Store the pop tarts in an airtight container.