in my early 20’s, i wasted way too much time worrying if my interests were cool.

i had just moved to brooklyn, and found myself surrounded by a cluster of late 20-somethings with impeccable style and taste in music, two things i thought i sorely lacked.

i wanted to be quirky. i wanted to be hip. i knew at least, that i didn’t want to be basic.

i began to keep quiet about the things i loved that didn’t align. sweetgreen salads. taylor swift. pumpkin spice.

luckily, i came to my senses over time and adopted a new perspective: who the f*ck cares? i learned to stop prioritizing the potential judgment of others over my own joy.

shamelessly, i still love salad. taylor swift still speaks the words of my soul. and goddammit, when the first signs of autumn hit, i become the biggest sucker for pumpkin spice.

these mooncakes are dedicated to that past self, and to all the joys and comforts that fall brings us. enjoy these with people that make you feel cozy. maybe even with a pumpkin spice latte in hand 😉

notes

i prefer making 50g mooncakes. you can find pretty inexpensive molds on amazon.
i’ve tried adding the pumpkin spice to the puree mixture over heat, and found that it’s best to add towards the end. this prevents any spices from burning.
try to use the dough the same day or within a day. filling can be made the night before and refrigerated.
i did try to store the dough in the fridge overnight for one batch, and i’d say avoid resting it in the fridge if you can. it’s still workable, but will make the dough be extra crumbly, crackly, and harder to handle. if you must, bringing the dough balls up to room temp first before molding helps.
the dough recipe is from kristina cho’s honeyed pistachio mooncakes, and the filling is loosely inspired by this easy mooncake recipe from yan cooks food. if the mooncake wrapping and stamping instructions are unclear, please refer to either of the aforementioned instructions!

pumpkin spice mooncakes

a classic baked mooncake with a pumpkin spice paste interior

formula

for the dough

300 g all purpose flour
110 g canola (or another neutral) oil
160 g lyle's golden syrup
1 tsp lye water (pre-make)

for the filling

1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
150 g pumpkin puree
110 g canola (or another neutral) oil, i used avocado
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 tsp pumpkin spice mix

for the wash

1 egg

helpful tools

1 egg wash brush
1 scale
parchment paper
mooncake stamp molds

method

prepare the dough

make lye water in advance: preheat oven to 250℉. bake 1 tsp of baking soda on a small metal tray for 1 hour. after it cools, mix with 1 tbsp room temp water. stir until completely dissolved
combine flour, golden syrup, oil, and lye water in a bowl.
knead to form a cohesive dough. shape into a disk.
cover completely in saran wrap or store in a bowl with a lid.
let rest at room temp for at least 45 min, up to 4 hours. do not store in fridge (this will cause the dough to stiffen)

make the filling

rinse and drain the can of chickpeas. if you see any skin peeling off, remove and throw out.
add the chickpeas in a food processor, and blend until texture resembles wet sand. add pumpkin puree and blend until completely mixed.
add the puree to a pan, and start cooking on low heat.
slowly add and mix in the oil until fully incorporated. then, stir in the maple syrup and sugar until fully incorporated.
continue cooking over low to medium heat, stirring continuously, until texture once again resembles stiff wet sand and can pile onto itself, about 45 min (+/-15m)
when paste is ready, remove from heat and stir in the desired amount of pumpkin spice, to taste.
allow to cool completely before using.

assembly

preheat oven to 350℉
roll dough into balls of 19g, and roll pumpkin filling into balls of 24g. +/- 1g should be fine, you don't need to perfect with it.
place dough ball between two small pieces of parchment paper and flatten with fingers.
continue flattening until about 1mm thick, you'll want thickness to resemble a corn tortilla. you can use the bottom of a glass, a tortilla press, or your fingers.
carefully remove the dough wrapper from the parchment paper (it'll be fragile!) and place on palm of non-dominant hand (left hand for most people).
using your right hand, slowly pinch the dough wrapper around the filling ball, removing excess as you go. patch up the top with the extras at the end if needed.
place the wrapped dough and filling ball seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
make sure the ball is shaped in a way that your stamp mold can encompass it. cover the ball with your mold, and tamp down firmly but gently.
remove by pushing the completed mooncake through the stamp, and gently wiggling the mooncake out if needed.
repeat until you've used up all the filling balls!

bake

place baking tray on top third of oven, and bake for 10 min, or until edges are lightly golden.
let cool for 10-15 minutes.
while cooling, make egg wash by beating 1 egg and 2 tbsp of water.
after cooling, brush a thin layer of egg wash over the tops and sides of the mooncakes.
bake for an additional 10 minutes.

serve

let cool completely before serving. mooncakes will have a crunchier exterior on the first day.
store in an airtight container for at least 1 day for the more traditional, soft and chewy exterior.
store in airtight container for up to 5 days.