These Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins are about to become your new fall obsession! I discovered these little beauties last October when Emily begged me to make "something that tastes like fall but looks fancy." Let me tell you, these flaky, buttery pastries with their rich brown butter pumpkin filling hit every single note.
What makes these cruffins special? They're the perfect marriage between a croissant and a muffin, made with homemade sourdough puff pastry (though I won't judge if you use store-bought). The brown butter adds this incredible nutty depth that pairs so beautifully with the warm pumpkin spices. Plus, that final roll in cinnamon sugar? Pure magic.
If you're looking for more delicious fall treats, you'll love my pumpkin spice pancakes - they're perfect for a cozy weekend morning when you want something special but not too complicated.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love These Mini Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
- Ingredients For Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins
- Instructions For Making Sourdough Cruffins With Pumpkin Filling
- Storage & Reheating For Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
- Tips For Perfect Brown Butter Sourdough Cruffins
- Variations For Mini Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
- Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins FAQ
- Recipes You May Like
- Conclusion
- Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins
Why You Will Love These Mini Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
- Ready in under 5 hours (most of it is hands-off chilling time)
- Uses sourdough discard - finally, a delicious way to use up that starter!
- Rich brown butter flavor that makes your kitchen smell absolutely incredible
- Perfect portion size - these minis are just right for sharing (or not sharing!)
- Flaky, buttery layers that shatter beautifully when you bite into them
- Warm pumpkin spice filling that tastes like fall in every bite
Ingredients For Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins
Sourdough Puff Pastry:
- 205g all-purpose flour
- 7g salt
- 226g (2 sticks) salted butter, cold and grated
- 60g water
- 113g sourdough discard
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Filling:
- ⅓ cup salted butter, browned and slightly cooled
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Coating:
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
- ¼ cup granulated sugar + 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, for rolling
Instructions For Making Sourdough Cruffins With Pumpkin Filling
Prepare The Sourdough Puff Pastry:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard and water until smooth.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the grated cold butter and mix to coat each piece.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the discard mixture into the center.
- Stir until a dough starts to form, then knead with your hands until well combined with no dry flour bits.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a rectangle. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Laminate The Dough And Chill:
- Place the chilled dough on a heavily floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle (approximately 18"x8").
- Perform a book fold by folding the short sides toward the middle so they meet, then fold the dough in half.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
Perform Letter Folds:
- Place dough on a heavily floured surface and roll into a long rectangle (approximately 24"x8").
- Fold the sides toward the center, overlapping like folding a letter. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Repeat this letter fold process 2-3 times total, chilling between each fold.
- After the final letter fold, roll dough into a 12"x8" rectangle, fold into thirds, and place parchment paper between folds to prevent sticking.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
Prepare For Baking:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and generously grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with butter.
Make The Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
- Mix until well combined and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
Assemble The Mini Cruffins:
- Divide the puff pastry in half (save the other half for another batch if desired).
- Lightly roll out the puff pastry on parchment paper.
- Spread the pumpkin spice filling evenly over the entire surface of the pastry.
- Cut the pastry in half lengthwise, then cut each strip in half again, and once more. You should have 8 equal strips.
- Roll each strip like a snail and place into the prepared muffin tin cups.
- Brush the tops with egg wash for that beautiful golden color.
- Bake at 375°F for 30-40 minutes, or until deep golden brown and flaky.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Serve warm and enjoy the buttery, spiced goodness!
Storage & Reheating For Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
These mini cruffins are absolutely best enjoyed fresh and warm from the oven. The contrast between the crispy, flaky exterior and the soft, spiced interior is just perfect when they're freshly baked.
Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. I'll be honest though - they're never quite as magical as day one. The pastry loses some of its crispiness, but they're still delicious!
To reheat, pop them in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes to restore some of that flakiness. Don't use the microwave unless you want sad, soggy cruffins (learned that lesson the hard way!).
Tips For Perfect Brown Butter Sourdough Cruffins
Here's what I've learned after making these sourdough cruffins more times than I can count:
- Keep everything cold - Your butter, your dough, even your bowl. Cold butter creates those beautiful flaky layers we're after.
- Don't skip the chilling steps - I know it seems like a lot of waiting, but trust me on this one. Each chill session helps develop those laminated layers.
- Brown the butter properly - You want it nutty and fragrant, not burnt. It should smell like toasted hazelnuts and be a beautiful amber color.
- Roll gently but firmly - You want to seal the filling inside without squeezing it all out the sides.
Have you ever tried making laminated dough before? It's actually way more forgiving than people think!
Variations For Mini Pumpkin Spice Cruffins
Want to switch things up? Here are some variations I've tried:
- Apple cinnamon filling - Replace pumpkin puree with applesauce and add diced apples
- Maple pecan - Add chopped pecans to the filling and drizzle with maple glaze
- Chocolate chip - Fold mini chocolate chips into the pumpkin filling
- Cream cheese swirl - Add dollops of sweetened cream cheese before rolling
The beauty of these mini cruffins is that they're like a blank canvas for fall flavors!
Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins FAQ
Yes! You can substitute 1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry for the homemade sourdough puff pastry to save time while still getting delicious results.
These cruffins are best enjoyed fresh on the day they're made, but can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in the oven to restore crispiness.
Absolutely! The sourdough puff pastry can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 1 month. Just thaw overnight before using.
You can substitute the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, or even thick applesauce for a different but equally delicious flavor profile.
Recipes You May Like
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes - Perfect for a cozy fall breakfast
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts - Another delicious pumpkin treat that's ready in 30 minutes
- Pumpkin Scones With Maple Cinnamon Glaze - Buttery, flaky scones with amazing fall flavors
Conclusion
These Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins are everything I love about fall baking rolled into one perfect little pastry. The combination of flaky sourdough pastry, nutty brown butter, and warm pumpkin spices creates something truly special.
Yes, they take a bit of time with all the chilling, but most of that is hands-off. And honestly? The look on Emily's face when she bit into her first one made every minute worth it. She declared them "better than anything from a bakery" - and coming from my picky teenager, that's high praise!
Give these a try this weekend and let me know what you think. Don't forget to save this recipe to Pinterest for later!
Mini Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cruffins
Equipment
- Medium bowls
Ingredients
Sourdough Puff Pastry
- 205 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g salt
- 226 g salted butter cold and grated (2 sticks)
- 60 g water
- 113 g sourdough discard
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Filling
- ⅓ cup salted butter browned and slightly cooled
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Coating
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk for egg wash
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard and water.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the grated butter, and mix to coat. Then, make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the discard mixture into the center. Stir until a dough starts to form, and then knead with your hands until well combined, and there are no dry bits of flour.
- Wrap the dough in a piece of plastic wrap, and flatten it out into a rectangle. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Place the dough onto a heavily floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle (~18"x8", it doesn't have to be exact). Perform a book fold by folding the short sides towards the middle so they meet, and then fold the dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
- Then perform 2-3 series of letter folds. Place the dough onto a heavily floured surface, and roll it into a long large rectangle (~24x8"). Fold the sides towards the center, overlapping like you are folding a letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes between each letter fold.
- After the last letter fold, cut two long rectangular strips of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (12"x8"), fold into thirds, and tuck a piece of parchment paper in between the folds to prevent sticking. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before using.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with butter; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix until well combined, and then place the mixture in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Divide the puff pastry in half. Save whichever half you aren't using to use another time, if desired.
- Slightly roll out the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper. Spread the pumpkin spice filling all over the surface of the puff pastry.
- Cut the puff pastry in half lengthwise. Then, cut each strip in half again, and then half again. You should have 8 equal strips of dough.
- Roll each strip like a snail, and place into the prepared muffin tin.
- Brush the tops of each cruffin with the egg wash.
- Bake at 375°F for 30-40 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and immediately roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Enjoy!
Notes
You can use regular store-bought puff pastry instead! Use 1 sheet of puff pastry in place of the sourdough puff pastry. Want more than 8 minis?
Simply use both sheets of the sourdough puff pastry or store-bought puff pastry to get 16 mini cruffins.
