Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Bites

Last week I bought a bag of the Pumpkin Spice Kisses with the intention of making cookies for a friend. Of course I completely forgot my house was being packed up so I had no cookie sheets to bake with and nothing to measure with, either! Bummer, because the two cookie recipes I have for these are AMAZING (see HERE and HERE).

Now, you could totally eat these kisses plain (I do!) but I wanted to do something with them. I love the sweet and salty combination so I made these little pretzel sandwiches. Needless to say, they didn't last long. SO YUMMY!

Just spread out some pretzels on a baking sheet or foil. Top with a kiss. Place in 350 degree oven for 2-4 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and place another pretzel on top. Let cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Butter Glaze

Amazing, moist, delicious, pumpkin-y, perfect, and gone in 2 days. Seriously, so good!!!! I think I'll have to make another one soon!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Butter Glaze
Recipe slightly adapted from Swappin' Spoons

3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs, cold
15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ground cloves
2/3 cup warm water

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk


Whisk together sugar through vanilla in medium bowl. In large bowl whisk together flour through cloves. Mix dry into wet until combined. Stir in warm water.

Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

Mix glaze ingredients and pour onto cooled cake.

TWD: Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

Another winner from Dorie Greenspan... this pumpkin pie might become my go-to recipe! I loved the addition of sour cream. It was a very creamy pie and oh so delicious!!!

Thanks to Judy of Judy's Gross Eats for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog.

Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

This is one of the best pumpkin breads I have ever tasted! The streusel really puts it over the top. My family went through 2 large loaves in less than 3 days... it was SO good! I think I may have to make it again before my pumpkin is gone!

Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
Recipe adapted from Bakingdom

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water

FOR THE STREUSEL
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 6 mini loaf pans or 2 regular loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the oil and apple sauce. Stir in the sugars until combined, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the pumpkin until thoroughly combined. Stir in the water. Sprinkle about half of the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture, and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and set aside while you mix the streusel topping.

To make the streusel:

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together, whisking until thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and stir with a spoon until you have a mixture that resembles lumpy wet sand. Do not break up the clumps too much.
Divide the streusel evenly between the pans, sprinkling it over the top of the bread batter to cover it completely.

Bake mini loaves, three at a time on a rimmed baking sheet, for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans, front to back, and bake for another 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If making large loaves, bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

That title is a mouthful but oh my goodness is this pie delicious!!!!!! A combination of pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies. SO GOOD!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Recipe from How Sweet It Is

2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chocolate chips
1 unbaked pie shell
whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add in vanilla extract, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined.. Blend in melted butter. Toss chocolate chips with a sprinkling of flour and fold into batter. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 55 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly.

Serve warm with ice cream of whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Pumpkin, cream cheese, muffins... What's not to like? Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins



Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Muffins:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups ugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375°F.

 In a large bowl mix eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Add  dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg until combined.

Place paper liners in a muffin tin. Fill halfway with pumpkin batter, add a spoonful of cheesecake, then fill to the top with pumpkin. Add a dollop of cheesecake on top and swirl with a knife.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Baked With Apples & Cranberries

This was such a quick dessert to throw together. You just cut up the apples, mix with fresh cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon, throw it all in a pumpkin and bake. It doesn't get much easier than that! I love fresh baked pumpkin and the addition of sweet brown sugar and tart cranberries was amazing! I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was delicious! It doesn't get much more Fall than this!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Baked with Apples & Cranberries
Recipe from Eat at Home

1 pie pumpkin

2 small apples, peeled and diced

1/4 cup dried cranberries or 1 cup whole, fresh cranberries

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbs. butter

Cut the top off the pumpkin. Once the top is off, scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff.

Stir the apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Fill the pumpkin with this delicious-smelling mixture. Dot with butter.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for an hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the pumpkin inside is tender when you poke it with a fork.

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

When I made the Pumpkin Kiss Blossoms a week or so ago I had a friend ask me if I thought they would ship well to Afghanistan (where her husband is currently deployed). They are such a soft cookie that I knew they wouldn't hold up well. She thought her husband would really enjoy them so I told her that I would create a cookie recipe that used the pumpkin kisses that she could ship. This is what I came up with and we love them! I hope they find their way to Afghanistan! :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup pumpkin spice kisses

Preheat oven to 325. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. Cream butter and sugars; beat in vanilla and eggs. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin kisses. Drop by 1/4 cups on parchment lined cookie sheet at least 3" apart. Bake 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly toasted.

Pumpkin Donuts with Buttermilk Glaze

These definitely aren't an every day breakfast and they are in no way good for you. I will say they are worth every little guilty thought though! These are old fashioned fried donuts and are AMAZING! I've made baked donuts before and they are great, too, but go all out for these. You will not be disappointed!!!!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Donuts with Buttermilk Glaze
Recipe from Babble

Donuts

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
Canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spice and sugar. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients (except for the canola oil) in a second, medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir them around the bowl until the mixture is well combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, rolling the donut dough to approximately1/4-1/2″ thick. (I know this will seem quite thin, but the donuts puff up immensley while frying). Cut with a donut cutter.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, gently slide the donuts into the oil, frying on the first side until the edges of the donut are lightly browned, flip carefully and allow to cook on the other side until lightly browned. Remove and dunk immediately into buttermilk glaze. Allow to air dry on a cooling rack before serving.

Buttermilk Glaze

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk together in a small bowl until smooth.

Pumpkin Chili & Pumpkin Cornbread

While I prefer to use pumpkin in sweet recipes, savory pumpkin dishes are also fantastic! I made this pumpkin chili and pumpkin cornbread the other night and it was an amazing dinner! The chili was easy since I cooked it in the crockpot and while the pumpkin was subtle the overall flavor was yummy! The cornbread was sweet and pumpkiny and SOOOOOO good! It was a great fall meal!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chili
Recipe from In Erika's Kitchen

3 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt, or to taste

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until no pink remains, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and bell peppers and saute another 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir briefly.

Put the beef mixture into the slow cooker along with the pumpkin puree, tomato paste, beans, spices and salt; stir to combine. Cook on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours.

Pumpkin Cornbread
Recipe from Sugar Cooking

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8×8″ baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, milk and honey.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

The original title for this recipe was Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies but a lot of comments said it was more cake-like than brownie-like. So, I decided to bake them in a smaller pan to make the bar a little thicker and what I ended up with was a delicous pumpkin snack cake. YUM!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
Recipe adapted (size & baking time) from Pennies on a Platter

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Grease an 8x8 pan.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs and oil until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and brown sugar. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until passes toothpick test. Cool completely before cutting.

Pumpkin Kiss Blossoms

I have never had the pumpkin kisses before but they are now one of my favorites!!!! Just the kiss alone tastes like pumpkin pie but then added on top of a delicious pumpkin cookie puts it over the edge. This is a cookie I will make again and again. Good thing I bought 4 bags of the kisses! :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Kiss Blossoms
Recipe from Life is a Banquet

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Turbinado sugar
Bag of Hershey pumpkin spice kisses

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks and stick a pumpkin kiss in the middle.

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

I love a good bran muffin. In fact, bran muffins are probably one of my favorite muffins... as long as it is baked right. Nothing is worse than a dry bran muffin! :) These bran muffins have the wonderful addition of pumpkin, craisins, and mini chocolate chips. They were moist and so delicious!

Pumpkin Bran Muffins
Recipe from All Day I Dream About Food

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp light molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375F and generously grease 24 mini-muffin tins and 6 regular muffin tins. Or use just the 12 larger muffin tins.

In a large bowl, stir buttermilk and bran together and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If you are using buttermilk powder, simply add 5 tbsp to the bran and then stir in 1 1/4 cups of water. Whisk in pumpkin, raisins, chocolate chips, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, molasses and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Gently fold flour mixture into the bran mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared tins, to just the top of each tin. Bake until tops are set and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 14-18 minutes for mini-muffins, and 20-24 minutes for larger muffins.

Pumpkin-Gingerbread Waffles

We are getting ready to head out to the pumpkin patch this morning and this was a perfect pre-patch breakfast! I have used the pumpkin-gingerbread combo a few times before (HERE and HERE) and LOVE the flavor combination. These waffles were no exception. They were amazing! And the buttermilk syrup???? TO DIE FOR! I was skeptical about it when I started making it because the buttermilk threw me off. There was no need for worry... it was amazing!

I served the waffles with a dollop of cinnamon-sugar butter, whipped cream, and the buttermilk syrup. Holy smokes... it's Fall on a plate!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Gingerbread Waffles
Recipe from The Farm Girl

Waffles:

2 c. flour

¼ c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
¾ t. salt
1½ t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
¼ t. grated nutmeg
¼ t. ground cloves
4 large eggs
6 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 c. milk
½ c. sour cream
3 T. unsulfured molasses
1/2 c. pureed pumpkin

 

Buttermilk Syrup:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. sugar
2 T. corn syrup
2 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

 

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, butter, milk, sour cream, molasses, and pumpkin and whisk to blend well. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk to combine until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

2. Preheat a waffle iron. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Serve immediately with buttermilk syrup and whipping cream.

3. While waffles are cooking, make buttermilk syrup. In LARGE (very important) saucepan combine butter, buttermilk, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir as fast as you can--it will foam A LOT. Pour over pancakes and enjoy

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

I know there are a ton of pumpkin pancake recipes out there but I am throwing one more into the mix. Instead of trying to pick from all the recipes, I created my own and I have to say they are fantastic!

I have made these two weekends in a row and my family gobbles them up. My husband, who isn't a big pancake eater, has had seconds both times and has requested that I make these often this fall. They are amazingly delicious and taste so much like pumpkin pie.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp oil
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Mix flour through brown sugar in a large bowl. In a medium bowl mix oil through vanilla. Mix wet into dry and whisk to combine. Cook on griddle until done. Serve with maple syrup or whipped cream... or both!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

It may not quite be Fall here in El Paso (still in the 80s-90s) but that isn't going to stop me from breaking out the pumpkin! The time between my birthday and Christmas is my favorite time of year. Lots of great holidays and lots of great opportunities to make good food. Plus, pumpkin is plentiful and we all know just how much I LOVE pumpkin!!!

This is one of my favorite pumpkin muffin recipes and I'm not quite sure why it isn't on the blog. I have been making it for 6 years or so... it is definitely a keeper! I love the addition of the apple and it keeps the muffins so moist! YUM!!!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 TBSP vegetable oil

1 cup apple, finely chopped

Topping:

1 TBSP flour

3 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP butter

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir dry into wet just until combined. Fold in apples. Spoon into muffin tin.

Combine streusel ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Pumpkin Granola Bars

Break out the Kleenex.... we all knew this day would come. Today marks the end of Pumpkin Mania. I will give you a minute to dry your eyes.

This is the last pumpkin recipe I have in my draft folder and while I still have one large can of pumpkin left in the pantry, I don't see any new pumpkin recipes in the near future. Pumpkin on Thanksgiving - YES. But new pumpkin for Thanksgiving - no.

These pumpkin granola bars are absolutely delicious and didn't last long around here. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand when I made them, so I changed a few things. How I ran out of honey I'll never know, but pure maple syrup was a good substitute. Also, I was out of applesauce, so I increased the pumpkin. Not sure how I ran out of honey and applesauce at the same time, but the changes still resulted in a great bar.

I hope you enjoyed all the pumpkin recipes over the last 2 months. I know I did!


Pumpkin Granola Bars
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don’t want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Makes 10-12 granola bars

Pumpkin-Doodles

I mentioned in my pumpkin ice cream post that I paired snickerdoodles with it for ice cream sandwiches. Naturally, when I saw these pumpkin snickerdoodles I knew I would be making them ASAP!

If you think snickerdoodles are good, these are even better. I mean really, really good! Classic snickerdoodle taste with the fantastic addition of pumpkin. Fall in a cookie. YUM!

And, yes, you can start calling me Pumpkin Lady. My husband already has! :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Doodles

Recipe from Bunny's Warm Oven

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 1-1/2 cups sugar and pumpkin. Beat until combined.

2. Beat in vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Beat in egg. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover and chill 1 hour.

3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls into the sugar-cinnamon mixture, rolling to coat. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

I realize that it is either getting cold or is already pretty cold in most places but up until yesterday, it was still tank top weather here in El Paso. Although, I personally believe that ice cream is a year round treat and it doesn't matter what the temperature outside is... Inside it can always be ice cream time!

This pumpkin ice cream was so good. It tasted like frozen pumpkin pie. Mmmmmmm! I also used the ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches for the kids. Let me tell you... pumpkin ice cream sandwiched between two snickerdoodles is A-MAZ-ING!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Recipe from Pennies on a Platter

5 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks: set aside.

Warm the milk, cream, sugar, spices and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the edges begin to bubble. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by placing a medium-sized metal bowl in a larger bowl filled with some ice and a little water. Set a mesh strainer on top.

Gradually add half of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Turn the heat to low and scrape the yolks back in to the saucepan. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (between 160˚ – 170˚F).

Working quickly, pour mixture through the strainer and into the bowl with the ice bath. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved and cooled. Chill thoroughly in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Once chilled, add the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Whisk until incorporated, then press through a fine-mesh strainer. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze for at least one hour before serving.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

I love mini-muffins. They are the perfect size for popping into your mouth and, let's face it, anything mini is cute! :)

These pumpkin muffins are fantastic. The texture is very much like a cake donut and when rolled in cinnamon-sugar and powdered sugar, they taste almost identical. Plus, they are baked and not fried, so that makes them healthier than a donut!

I wanted to mention one change I made. The recipe calls for dipping the muffins in butter then rolling them in the sugar. I do this with another muffin I make, but didn't feel like melting the butter when I made these. If you pop them straight out of the muffin tin and put right into the sugar, the sugar will stay and you won't have to use the extra butter.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

Recipe from Cassie Craves

For the pumpkin batter:
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.

2. Spoon batter into each mini muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, roll in butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.