Pumpkin spice up your life with these recipes

Pumpkin Spice Latte Loaf

Ingredients:

Loaf:
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. allspice
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. pumpkin spice coffee, brewed (I used Sprouts brand)
1 cup pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling) 

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk (plus more as needed)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf baking pan with nonstick baking spray or flour, and line with parchment paper the length of the loaf pan, letting excess extend over sides of pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add oil and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined and scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Add coffee and pumpkin purée; mix until fully incorporated.  

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing between additions, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out mostly clean, about 55 minutes. 

Transfer loaf to a cooling rack and let cool slightly, then use parchment handles to remove it from pan. 

For Frosting, in a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Beat until just combined. To thin, add 1 tablespoon more of milk. Add more confectioners’ sugar for a thicker consistency. 

Once loaf has cooled, use an offset spatula to evenly spread frosting. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired. 

Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Spice Mascarpone Mousse

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin pie mix
6 oz. mascarpone
1⁄8 tsp. allspice or pumpkin spice
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 jar fleur de sel caramel sauce
2 oz. Bailey’s salted caramel liqueur
1 (12-oz.) container whipped topping
10 ginger snap cookies, crumbed

Place pumpkin pie mix, mascarpone, allspice, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat with a hand-mixer for about 3 to 5 minutes or until fully incorporated and fluffy. Set in cooler for 20 minutes to set.

In a microwave-safe bowl, add caramel sauce and liqueur. Place bowl in microwave and cook for 1 minute or until caramel sauce is fluid. Stir mixture until completely incorporated, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Place ginger snaps in a sealed plastic storage bag and tap them heavily with a rolling pin until cookies become crumbs.

Remove mousse from cooler and spoon mixture into individual dessert glasses.

Top each glass of mousse with a dollop of whipped topping, a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and crumbed ginger snaps. Serve chilled.

Makes about 10 servings.

Crawfish Pumpkin Soup

Simple ingredients create a smooth soup.

1 onion, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin purée
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
1⁄2 cup skim milk or fat-free half-and-half
1 (16-oz.) bag crawfish tails, drained and rinsed
Dash nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄4 cup chopped green onions

In a large nonstick pot coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté onion over medium heat until tender, 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add milk, crawfish and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions before serving. Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories 88 | Calories from fat 11% | Fat 1g | Saturated fat 0g | Cholesterol 78mg | Sodium 259mg | Carbohydrate 7g | Dietary fiber 3g | Sugars 4g | Protein 13g | Dietary exchanges: 1⁄2 starch, 1 1⁄2 very lean meat

The Great Pumpkin Punch

Ingredients:
12 oz. vodka
24 oz. oat milk
8 tsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pumpkin spice

Can be served cold or hot.

For cold: Chill vodka and oat milk for several hours prior to serving. Combine vodka, oat milk, honey and vanilla in a punch bowl. Garnish each cocktail with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top.

For hot: Combine vodka, oat milk, honey and vanilla in a pot on the stove or a Crockpot. Warm until just before simmering. Garnish each cocktail with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top.

Makes 8 servings.

Whipped Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 mini pumpkin (optional, used for serving) 

Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Spoon into a serving dish, or cut the top off a mini pumpkin and hollow out the inside. Serve immediately or refrigerate, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. 

Makes 6-8 servings.