Pumpkin Spice Season is upon us.  It symbolizes the end of summer and the start of fall.  I know summer isn’t officially over, and to be honest, I’m not ready to say goodbye to warmer weather, but I am going to enjoy some delicious pumpkin treats either way 🙂

I have a few go-to recipes to share with you today.  All are themed around, you guessed it, pumpkin spice.  It’s hard to say which recipe is my favorite because they are all delicious in their own way.  Luckily, because it’s still technically summer and not fall, I have even more time to enjoy them all!

First up is Individual Pumpkin Pie Pops.  These are miniature pumpkin pies on lollipop sticks, so you eat them like a candy sucker.  It combines all your favorite pumpkin pie flavors in an individual size, grab and go treat.

The recipe can be found here.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well and set aside.

 

Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk.  Set aside.  This is to wash over the dough in a later step to give it a golden-brown appearance.

Roll out one pie crust on the counter.  I like to let the crust sit for about 5-10 minutes first so it’s a little warmer and less likely to crack when unrolling.  Then, use a rolling pin to slightly flatten the crust and remove and creases caused by being rolled up.

Use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to cut out the dough.  Repeat with the second pie crust.  You should be able to get 7-8 cutouts per dough.

If you want to use this recipe again for other seasons, you can use any cookie cutter shape.  Think Christmas tree or an ornament for the holidays, a turkey for Thanksgiving, top hat for New Years, etc.  You can really customize these “pops” for any occasion.

Place ½ of the cutout pumpkin shaped dough on the prepared baking sheets.  Brush the top of each with the beaten egg.

Gently press one lollipop into each piece of dough, with about 1-inch of the stick pressed into the dough.  You want enough of the lollipop stick inside the pumpkin pie, so the stick isn’t too easily removed, and the pumpkin pie doesn’t fall over when being picked up.

Add a spoonful of the pumpkin mixture on top of each piece of dough, making sure to overlap the lollipop stick.

Place the other ½ of the cutout pumpkin shaped dough on top.  Press down slightly around the edges with your fingers to seal the dough.  Then, use a fork to create a pattern and completely seal the dough around the edges.

 

Brush the top of each pumpkin with the beaten egg.

Bake for 18-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool completely.  You can move the pumpkin pie pops to a cooling rack after a few minutes or leave them directly on the pan.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup.  Mix until it’s fully incorporated with no lumps.

Pour the glaze into a piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip off a very small corner of the bag.  Pipe the glaze over each of the pumpkin pie pops.  Let the glaze set on the counter for about 15 minutes or in the fridge for about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

The recipe can be found here.

You can’t go wrong with these!  They are light and flakey with the perfect amount of pumpkin pie filling.  They are delicious right out of the oven or at room temp.

Next up is Pumpkin Spice Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting.  These are cake-like bars, think moist and fluffy, with a rich and creamy brown sugar flavored frosting.  They are perfectly spiced and simple to make.  I look forward to pumpkin bars every year so having a recipe of my own that I can make any time I want is clutch 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.  This step is completely optional.  I think the bars are easier to cut and serve if you can lift them out of the pan in one whole piece versus trying to dig out and ruin the first square (know what I mean?).

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

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.  Mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread to the edges.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Place the baking dish on a wire rack to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Then, lift the parchment paper to remove the bars from the dish and set on the wire rack to cool completely.  If you did not use parchment paper, simply leave the bars in the baking dish until completely cooled.

While the bars are cooling, make the frosting.  Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Use the paddle attachment to beat until combined.  Add the cinnamon and salt and beat to combine.

Slowly add the powdered sugar while the mixer is on low speed.  Add the vanilla and milk and increase the speed to medium.  Continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Once the bars are completely cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the bars.  If you don’t like a lot of frosting, you can use less than the recipe makes but I think the bars are delicious with globs and globs of frosting on top 🙂

Slice into squares and serve immediately.  If not serving immediately, store in the fridge until ready to serve.  Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.

The recipe can be found here.

You won’t be able to stop with just one!

The third recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.  These are also cake-like; very soft and fluffy yet moist with incredible pumpkin flavor.  These tend to be a crowd favorite but good news, they are easy to prepare and make enough to go around.

The recipe can be found here.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.  I like to use 3 baking sheets, so the cookies are evenly spaced and not too crowded on the pan.  It takes longer to bake all the cookies, but I love the way they turn out!

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and pumpkin and mix well.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  Mix until well combined.

Drop 1 ½ Tbsp sized scoops of batter onto the cookie sheets.  You should have enough batter for about 36 cookies.  This is where my 3^rd baking sheet comes in – 12 cookies per sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes then remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  You can move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat to combine.  Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and the cinnamon, and beat until combined.

Use an offset spatula to frost the cookies (once cooled).  There is enough frosting to be quite generous in how much you put on each cookie so don’t skimp!

Completely optional, but I think it’s a nice touch, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of each cookie.  Enjoy!

The recipe can be found here.

This is another recipe where you can’t have just one!  You are eating a cookie that isn’t too sweet, has a hint of spice, and is perfectly seasonal.

The final recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies.  This is a yummy spiced cookie sandwich with a lovely maple cream cheese frosting filling.  It doesn’t get any better than not 1, but 2 cookies, in each treat.  Let’s be honest, I was going to have 2 cookies anyway so why not sandwich them together?

These have the same airy, fluffy, cake-like texture as the other recipes above.  The flavor is spot on, and the recipe makes about 30 whoopie pies so you’ll have plenty to go around.

The recipe can be found here.

Start by making the cookie portion.  Move the oven rack to the middle slot and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper (you’re going to have a lot of cookies!).

You’re going to bake the cookies, one pan at a time.  This allows the heat to be evenly distributed and for proper air circulation with will help the cookies bake consistently.  Trust me, it’s worth the extra time 🙂

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.  Add the 2 cans of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) and whisk to combine.  Then, whisk in the eggs and vanilla until completely incorporated.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined.

Use a cookie scoop to drop 1 ½ – 2 tbsp of batter (per cookie) onto the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.  You should be able to fit about 15 cookies on each baking sheet for a total of 60 cookies.  You can make more/less depending on how many you can squeeze out of the batter.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, on the middle rack, for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are baking, make the maple cream cheese frosting.  Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Use the paddle attachment to beat the butter until smooth.  Add the cream cheese and beat until combined and smooth.

I like to let both the butter and cream cheese sit on the counter for a few hours to soften before mixing.  It makes the process a whole lot easier!

Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Mix until combined.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can start to assemble.  Add the frosting to a piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip the tip/corner of the bag.

Turn ½ of the cookies upside down.  Pipe the filling on top of the cookies.  You can be generous with the amount you add to each cookie because you have PLENTY of frosting 🙂  Place the other ½ of the cookies on top and press down slightly so the frosting spreads to the edges.

Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the frosting to harden slightly and set.

The recipe can be found here.

You can also enjoy 1 or 2 immediately while the others chill…there’s nothing wrong with a quality check to make sure they are perfect!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as we all gear up for fall.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be below 70 degrees to enjoy anything pumpkin spice flavored…although most people would probably argue it should be 🙂  Enjoy the rest of your summer days and until next time…

Happy Cooking!