pumpkin cupcakes with pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting

This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last time that I declare my love for pumpkin.

I have an entire board on Pinterest that links me to delicious pumpkin recipes that I attempt to bake and cook my way through every Fall.

On Saturday morning, I opened up one of those big cans of pumpkin to toss a few tablespoons into my pancake batter.  That left 7/8 of a can of pumpkin just sitting in my fridge begging to find it's way into something yummy.  A mostly dreary Saturday called for a little baking.

I turned to my pumpkin board for some direction.  Ina Garten recipes never fail.  She kind of annoys me, but she's got skills in the kitchen.  So, I went with an Ina pumpkin cupcake recipe paired up with a Skinnytaste pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting.  Ina's cupcake recipe includes a maple frosting, but I'm fresh outta maple extract, so a spiced cream cheese frosting came to the rescue.

I made a few itty-bitties and a few regular sized cupcakes.  They didn't disappoint.  And the frosting was beater-licking good.  

Have you whipped up anything pumpkin lately?

Maybe you can't stand pumpkin and you have a different favorite fall flavor?

What's baking, guys?

pumpkin cookies with carmel frosting

My list of reasons for loving Fall is pretty lengthy.

Pumpkin flavored anything is towards the top of the list.

Last year I stumbled upon these delicious pumpkin cookies with carmel frosting.

They're some of my favorite pumpkin cookies.

A must-make every Fall.

I only made half of a batch this morning (I didn't have enough butter for a full batch), and I'm thankful there are half as many as there would be (if I made a full batch), because I may or may not have already eaten 3 of them.
And it's only 1 pm.

Cue self-control.

Although I have very low expectations for myself.

my favorite pumpkin muffins

Autumn bring so many things that I love.

Cool weather, crisp air, colorful foliage, crunchy leaves, sweaters, sweatpants, fireside coziness...

(the list goes on, and on)

source

And of course, pumpkin treats.

Fall may not officially arrive until September 22, but on September 1, I start pulling out my fall decor and getting in the autumn state of mind.

This 100+ degree weather isn't helping, but that's only a minor detail, right? 

To kick off the season, I whipped up a dozen (which is a half recipe) of my favorite pumpkin muffins.  And when I say favorite, I mean favorite.  None compare.

That cream cheese filling might be the best part.
Or maybe the streusel topping, or the cake-like pumpkin muffin, itself.
Or maybe all of the above, together, in one delicious bite. 

I made these for the first time last Fall.

I won't, ever, make another pumpkin muffin recipe.

These are my pumpkin muffins.

My go-to, perfect-and-delicious-every-time-pumpkin-muffins.

Make them.

pumpkin recipe overload

Over the past two weeks, or so, I've been swimming in pumpkin.  Not literally, although that would be quite yummy, but I've been measuring out pumpkin for a variety of recipes, just about every day.  I've made a few delicious treats, as well as a few not so delicious ones (in my opinion).

I found (almost) all of these pumpkin recipes via Pinterest.

Let's start with one that I can't stop talking about.

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

 AMAZING.  Seriously.  If you finish reading this blog post down to the bottom, you've wasted too much time - you need to get yourself into the kitchen and whip out those muffin pans and start mixing!  These little babies are a little bit of heaven.  Just half of a muffin is enough, but you'll want to eat the whole thing!  From the cake, to the filling, to the streusel topping...Simply yum.

These muffins get a 5 out of 5 rating from me.

(And they freeze really well!)

Pumpkin waffles.

 We had these waffles for dinner one night after a friend of mine had said they were really good.  They had them for dinner just a night, or two, before.  They certainly didn't disappoint.  They were delish.  My only complaint was that they weren't quite pumpkin-y enough.  Maybe a little pumpkin pie spice would have enhanced them just the right amount.  I'd probably try a different pumpkin waffle recipe next time - just to see if there's a better, pumpkin-y-er, one out there.

"Pumpkin-y-er" is now a word.  Make note.

I'd give these a 3.5/4 out 5 five, though.  Delicious, just lacking that pumpkin/spice.

Callan LOVES the waffles, too!  I stuck a few in the freezer to pull out for him for breakfasts over the next few weeks.  He snacked on some while I cooked them.

Pumpkin oatmeal shake. 

Sounds a little weird.  I was wary to try, but it really is a tasty pumpkin treat in the morning.  Just enough pumpkin, just enough spice.  And there's oatmeal in it! (hence the name...) All three of us enjoyed them - I think I might make one for breakfast this morning, as a matter of fact!

My like-o-meter gives these shakes a 4 out of 5.

Pumpkin spice pancakes. 

Thoroughly enjoyed these.  Balanced flavor of pumpkin and spice.  I did the same with these as I did the waffles - I threw the leftovers into the freezer and pull them out for breakfast for Callan.  His favorite breakfast, right now, is half a pancake, 1/4-1/3 of a banana, and some yogurt.  Kid is a yogurt fiend.  Would definitely use this pancake recipe again.  

I'd give them a 4/4.5 out of 5.

Pumpkin-ricotta stuffed shells. 

I found this recipe in the most recent issue of Country Living.  I had to try it.  (If you're interested in the recipes, just leave me a comment and I'll get it to you!)  I was pleasantly surprised!  They're very good.  I was a little disappointed in how much the ricotta over-powered the flavor of the pumpkin, however.  And there aren't any typical spices in this recipe - I would probably add some the next time.  All in all, delicious.  I have some in the freezer for a meal later this week.

4 out of 5

Ok, here is where my recipes went a little south.  I was uber excited when I saw this recipe for pumpkin cream cheese truffles. 

I'm not sure if it was a recipe fail or an Allison fail...  Either way, I'd pass on this recipe.  The orange zest was way too overpowering, the truffle filling didn't harden enough to roll into pretty little truffle balls to dip into the almond bark, not even after 24 hours in the fridge.  I did, however, find a pumpkin truffle recipe that makes WAY more sense.  (This one.  I haven't tried a recipe, yet, from this site that hasn't been outstanding.)  If I were to attempt them again, I'd go with the recipe from Annie's Eats.

MY Pumpkin Truffles.  2 out of 5.

They went from looking like this...

...to this.  Just awful.

And then there's the pumpkin fudge.

This (somewhat of a) fail was all on me.  I only had 1.5 cups of white chocolate chips on hand, not the 2 cups required by the recipe.  I decided to go with it anyways.  The flavor was good, the consistency was just off a smidge.  I'd suggest giving it a go with the proper measurements.  Ha!

Fudge.  3 out of 5.

Travis took the truffles and the fudge to work - the guys loved them.  But then again, they'd eat almost anything.  So...

Anyways, I couldn't end on a fail (two of them, for that matter), so I baked on.  

Pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting.

 Amazing.  They're light and airy, with a delicious, sugary frosting.  They taste like beautiful, little muffin tops.  Mmm...I, seriously, want to go pull one out of the freezer right now.  Yes, they freeze well, too!

These yummy little bits of heaven get a 5 out of 5 from me.

Go make them. You won't be disappointed.  I promise you.

My most recent pumpkin endeavor, in the kitchen, was pumpkin cheesecake bars.

There are 4 layers to this sweet little dessert, but it's worth the effort, in my opinion.  A layer of graham cracker crust, then a layer of semi-sweet chocolate mixed with the pumpkin cheesecake filling, then the real deal pumpkin cheesecake filling, topped off with a thin layer of a sweetened sour cream frosting.  

I give these super yummy, super indulgent, squares of deliciousness a 4.5 out of 5. 

So, there you have it.

Nine pumpkin recipes in less than two weeks.

Honestly rated.  Absolutely devoured.

 Have you made anything fall-ish/pumpkin-y yet?  Do share!

pumpkin surprise

"Pumpkin Surprise" has been my favorite Fall dessert ever since I was introduced to it by my mother-in-law several years ago.  I was never a huge fan of anything pumpkin, but this dessert turned my taste buds around, and now I can't get enough.  We enjoyed it on Thanksgiving this year (and are still enjoying it - love leftovers!) - even my sister (who is not a huge fan of pumpkin) enjoyed a piece.  At least that's what she said.  Perhaps she simply politely cleared her plate?  I like to believe otherwise because it's just that good.  

Anyways, as requested by a friend, here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

one 29 oz can pumpkin
1 c butter, butter
1 1/2 c pecans (3/4 c and 3/4 c)
one box of yellow cake mix
1 c powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
one large cool whip
4 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
two 12 oz can evap. milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper.  Make pumpkin as directed on the back of the can, pour into lined pan.  Sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly on top, then 3/4 c pecans, then add melted butter.  Bake in the oven until a knife comes out clean (about an hour).  Cool completely, then invert onto a flat surface (such as a cookie sheet) and put in fridge.  While in the fridge, make frosting. 
Frosting: Beat powdered sugar and cream cheese until combined; fold in cool whip.  Spread on top of pumpkin and sprinkle with remaining pecans.  Put back in fridge. When ready to serve, cut into pieces and enjoy!

*Can be made several days in advance.