Pumpkin and Dried Apricot Filling for Pastries for Winter
A beautiful and bright filling for your favorite baked goods. This is a universal filling for all kinds of pastries. It can also be eaten just as it is with tea, served as a dessert, or used to decorate other dishes. Thanks to its thick texture, it will not leak out during baking.
Updated : 28 May, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
0.5 litre jar
300 grams
Pumpkin
120 grams
Dried apricots
150 grams
Sugar
2 tablespoon
Lemon juice
0.5 teaspoon
Cinnamon
1 grams
Nutmeg
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the pumpkin and use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to remove the tough skin. Cut the pumpkin into slices about 1 cm thick, about 1/2 inch. I used a butternut squash. Try not to remove too much flesh together with the peel. A vegetable peeler will give you the least waste.
Step 2
Cut the pumpkin into cubes about 1 cm on each side. This is the traditional way to cut pumpkin for any preserve.
Step 3
Sprinkle the pumpkin with sugar, mix, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap so nothing extra gets into the future preserve. Leave the pumpkin at room temperature for 1 hour so it releases its juice.
Step 4
Transfer the pumpkin together with the juice to a pot of suitable size and cook over the lowest heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin does not burn. The pumpkin should simmer, not fry. Therefore, if there is not enough juice, carefully add a little boiling water. Only a very small amount, no more than 100 ml, about 1/3 cup, for the stated amount of pumpkin. Be careful with your hands.
Step 5
Of course, all stoves are different, so some people, like me, may need to cover the pot with a lid to reduce moisture loss.
Step 6
Dark dried apricot is actually the most natural kind. It is exactly how apricots would look if you dried them yourself in the sun. My dried apricots do not contain sunflower oil, so I simply rinsed them under running water. If yours are bright orange and beautiful, they definitely need to be scalded with boiling water to wash the vegetable oil off the surface.
Step 7
Cut the dried apricots into pieces about the same size as the pumpkin pieces. This will make the preserve look more harmonious.
Step 8
Add the dried apricots to the pot with the pumpkin and cook for another 20 minutes or so. The mixture should come back to a boil, and the dried apricots should heat through well.
Step 9
First wash the jars with a brush and baking soda. Pour about 50 ml of water, about 3 tablespoons, into each jar and sterilize them in the microwave for 2 minutes at 800 watts. The larger the jars, the longer they need to be sterilized. For example, a 1-liter jar needs 3 minutes at the same power. Of course, all microwaves are different. The sign to watch for is the water boiling in the jar. Simply wash the lids, pour boiling water over them, and leave them that way until they are needed.
Step 10
After the mixture has cooked, add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the pot. Add nutmeg only if you do not mind it. It has quite a specific flavor, and many people do not like it. You need only a tiny amount, literally just the tip of a knife. To my taste, nutmeg and pumpkin are a very successful combination. Mix everything.
Step 11
Spoon the pastry filling into the jars and screw on the lids. Turn the jars upside down and wrap them in a towel. Leave them until completely cool. After that, store them in a cool place.
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