Ingredients
2largepears,peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes
1tbsplemon juice
¾cup water
¾cup white sugar
⅓cupbrandy
2tbspcornstarch
2tbspwater
½tspcinnamon,ground
1recipeCream Cheese Pie Dough,chilled
1egg
1tbspcool water
¼tspkosher salt
1tbspcold milk
¼tspvanilla extract
1cuppowdered sugar
Preparation
Toss pears with lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl.
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Boil for about 8 minutes or until it is reduced by half. Cool slightly. Pour over pears; stir in brandy. Cover and chill for 8 hours to overnight.
Transfer pears to a small bowl using a slotted spoon. Bring pear liquid to a boil in a saucepan; cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until it is reduced to about ½ cup.
Add pears; return to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and water together. Stir in along with cinnamon.
Return to a boil and boil exactly 1 minute. Transfer immediately to a bowl to stop cooking; let cool thoroughly.
Set a baking stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet on center rack of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out 1 block of pie dough to a roughly 9×13-inch rectangle. Cut out 24 2-inch rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter or a small glass, and cut a small slit in the center of 12. Beat egg with water and kosher salt for the egg wash.
Brush edge of each unvented round with egg wash. Add 2 teaspoons filling to the center and top with a vented round.
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and firmly crimp edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash. Chill or freeze while repeating process with remaining dough and filling to make 12 more poppers.
Set a baking sheet with poppers on the preheated stone; bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until deeply golden brown.
Whisk together milk and vanilla in a small bowl, then whisk in powdered sugar until glaze is smooth and very thick.
Transfer to a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag with a snipped-off corner. Drizzle glaze on each popper.
Let glaze set up, about 30 minutes, before serving.
