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Fall is here! AKA pumpkin spice season has begun. It officially started a few weeks ago and I’m behind but don’t worry, I’ve been participating in the craze and am ready to share my recipes with you 🙂
My first recipe for the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies. I call these “blondies”, but they have a more cakelike texture than a traditional blondie and are quite dense. They are thick, chewy, soft, and moist, and hard to not eat all at once! It’s the perfect combination of flavors with the pumpkin spice and chocolate chips.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. This part is optional, but you can line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or you can skip this step. The parchment paper helps lift the blondies out of the baking pan when cool and ready to slice but you can slice and remove right from the pan.
Whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the egg, pumpkin puree (not pie filling), and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.
With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Turn the stand mixer off, add the chocolate chips, and fold in by hand. Pour into the baking pan and spread in an even layer.
Bake for 4-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. One of the biggest mistakes when making bars with pumpkin puree is removing it from the oven too soon. The pumpkin adds a lot of moisture and if you remove too soon, the center will not be baked through. So, make sure to test with a toothpick or 2 to ensure doneness. Remove the bars from the oven and let cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This will help the bars set up and slice easily. After the time has passed, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter once completely cool.
The recipe can be found here.
If you are looking for an alternative option, substitute with chocolate chips with butterscotch chips.
My second recipe is for Pumpkin S’mores Bars. These are a fun twist on a summer classic making them a fall treat. Think pumpkin bars that are soft and fluffy, topped with rich melted chocolate and sweet toasted marshmallows. So good!
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until creamy then add the pumpkin puree (not pie filling), eggs, and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly pour into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Pour into the baking pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 24-25 minutes or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
Finely chop the chocolate almond bark and sprinkle evenly over the top. Alternately, you can sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Then bake for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate is melted. I used chocolate almond bark, and it worked well. There was plenty of chocolate to cover the bars and it was very easy to chop and melt. You can use an offset spatula to smooth out the chocolate layer if you want but it’s not necessary.
Sprinkle mini marshmallows over the top – make sure to cover all the chocolate. Bake for 2-3 minutes to soften the marshmallow and to let them melt a bit. You want to toast the marshmallows at this point. If you have a kitchen torch, I recommend using that (that’s what I did). It works well and is fast to toast all the marshmallows. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, place the bars under the broiler for 30 seconds, maybe 1 minute total. Make sure to watch the bars so the marshmallows don’t start to burn.
Now you want to let the bars cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. When ready to slice, dip a knife in hot water and slice one square/bar. Continue to dip the knife in hot water between slices as this helps prevent sticking (from the marshmallows) and will be less messy. Use a spatula to remove the bars and serve. Enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter once completely cool.
The recipe can be found here.
My third recipe is for Pumpkin Churros with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip. This is actually a quite simple recipe to make so don’t let the fact that you have to deep fry deter you. If you aren’t familiar, churros are a deep-fried dough that’s sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar mixture you dip into a sweet sauce. They are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and incredibly delicious when served warm. They are perfectly fine to eat plain but the cinnamon cream cheese dip takes them to a whole new level. The cream cheese is tangy and helps offset the sweetness of the pumpkin and cinnamon.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by combining 1/3 cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. This will be the cinnamon-sugar coating for the churros. Set aside.
Make the cinnamon cream cheese dip. Add the cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin puree (not pie filling) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth and well combined. Transfer to a cute serving bowl and set aside. Feel free to take a quick sample of the dip for quality control purposes 🙂
Next, make the churro batter. Add the water, pumpkin puree (not pie filling), vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until well combined. Add the flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Slowly beat until well combined.
Add a star tip to a piping bag and snip off the tip. Add the batter to the piping bag and set aside.
Heat 2-3 inches of canola oil in a deep fry pan to 375 degrees F. Pipe 4-5 strips of dough into the hot oil and use kitchen scissors to snip the dough. Make the churros as long or short as you like. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp and cooked through. You might need to use a spatula to gently separate the churros as they fry because they might float together and stick to each other. Use a slotted spoon to remove the churros to a paper towel lined plate. Let sit for about 1 minute then toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Transfer the coated churros to a serving platter. Repeat until all better has been used.
Serve immediately with the cinnamon cream cheese dip on the side. Enjoy!
These are incredibly good!
The recipe can be found here.
My last recipe is for Pumpkin Pie Wontons. I believe Andrew said “I thought we as a society already perfected pumpkin pie. There was nowhere else to go with it. I was wrong.” That’s how good (and easy) these wontons are! They are effortless to assemble, take little time to fry, and are amazing when dipped in the maple sauce.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by making the dipping sauce. Add the powdered sugar, 4oz cream cheese, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth and well combined. Scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
Next, make the wontons. Add the pumpkin puree (not pie filling), brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and 2oz cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined. It’s OK if there are a few lumps as they will melt while frying and if they don’t, you won’t care because the filling is delicious, and your mouth will be happy with each bite.
Lay the wonton wrappers on the counter and add about 1 Tbsp of the mixture to the center of each wrapper. You can eyeball it or use a measuring spoon. Use water to wet the edges and fold each wrapper into a triangle shape. Use water along the outside edges and pinch to completely seal. I like to hold the wontons while doing this as I find them easier to work with.
Heat 1 ½ – 2 inches of oil in a wok or high-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add the wontons in batches, about 4 at a time, and cook until both sides are crispy and golden brown. This will take about 1-2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
Dust the wontons with powdered sugar.
Serve warm with the dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
I loved all these recipes, had fun making them, and enjoyed sharing them with others, but I think either the churros or wontons are my favorite. It was a great way to kickoff fall (aka pumpkin spice season) and gear up for cooler weather, changing colors, and upcoming holidays.
Happy Cooking and Happy Pumpkin Spice Season!
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