6 October 2023
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Pumpkin spice latte season started early this year, but you may only now be getting in the mood to start baking with autumnal spices.
As Jack-o’-lanterns appear at grocery stores and on front porches — and pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin beer options abound — consider celebrating autumn with a different type of treat. We sourced pumpkin spice recipes from food connoisseurs and cookbooks from across the country, and none of them are your traditional pumpkin pie (though we have a recipe for that, too). We even found some tips for crafting your own sweet baking spice.
If you’re getting in the mood for spooks, don’t miss our guides to Halloween decorations, costumes, gardening and pet care. Now, on to the treats!
Pumpkin spice cake
Traditional pumpkin-pie spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice — meet in this pumpkin bundt cake with a maple-mascarpone glaze, writes Bay Area News Group assistant features editor Kate Bradshaw. The dessert recipe comes from New York food writer Samantha Seneviratne’s new cookbook, “Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours” (Harvest, $35), which hits bookstores on Nov. 7.
Recipe: Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Cream
Pumpkin spice cheesecake
Forget boring pumpkin bread. This pumpkin cannoli cheesecake mixes all the flavors of a great cannoli with whole-milk ricotta, orange and pistachios, writes Bay Area News Group features reporter John Metcalfe. It’s from Molly Baz, the former Bon Appetit food editor whose first cookbook, 2021’s “Cook This Book,” rocketed up The New York Times’ best-seller list. She’s following that debut with “More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen” (publishing Oct. 10 from Clarkson Potter).
Recipe: Pumpkin-Cannoli Cheesecake Cake by Molly Baz
Pumpkin spice cookies
For a more straightforward, travel-friendly bake, throw some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the oven. This recipe comes from Colleen Worthington, cofounder of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe, which has locations across Western states from Nevada to Colorado.
Recipe: Kneaders’ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
We also found another version of pumpkin spice cookies with a little oatmeal in the recipe, making for a less cake-like bite. These chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are from Laguna Woods Globe contributor Carla Vigos, who first tasted these cookies in 1997 and became a fan.
Scare up some chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Pumpkin pie
“If a flourless chocolate cake and a classic pumpkin pie had a love child, it would be this silky, sinful dessert,” writes celebrity chef Michael Symon of this silky chocolate pumpkin pie. He and coauthor Douglas Trattner teamed up to write “Simply Symon Suppers” (Clarkson Potter, $35), a compendium of 165 recipes that includes the pie. “You can cheat a little by using a store-bought crust,” according to the chef.
Recipe: Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from chef Michael Symon
Pumpkin spice tres leches
If you’re ready to bake pumpkin desserts but also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, there’s a recipe that will allow you to scratch both itches. Try your hand at pumpkin spice tres leches cake from Domestic Rebel’s Hayley Parker. The loveliness of this sweet concoction cannot be underestimated, and when it sets into what is a beautifully spiced and not-overly-sweet cake, it becomes something greater than the sum of its parts, writes Orlando Sentinel food and dining reporter Amy Drew Thompson.
Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches: a PSL for Hispanic Heritage Month
Pumpkin-butterscotch custard with spiced whipped cream
“Butterscotch pudding isn’t traditional on most Thanksgiving menus, but I adore its brown-sugar creaminess anytime it’s on offer,” Melissa Clark wrote for The New York Times. “In this more sophisticated take, I infused a baked butterscotch custard with pumpkin purée, giving it a supremely autumnal character. The pumpkin also makes the rich custard slightly lighter, which is exactly what you want after turkey and all the trimmings.” Get the recipe for pumpkin custard with spiced whipped cream.
Yes, there are great Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie
Pumpkin spice whoopie pies
An array of spices and a small dose of molasses come together in these pumpkin spice whoopie pies from pastry chef Rachel Klemek; the cakes sandwich an irresistible cream cheese filling, writes OC Register contributor Cathy Thomas.
Recipes: Make these scary treats for your Halloween party
Bonus (and not a dessert): No-spice mac and cheese
OK so you hate any mention of pumpkin spice lattes but still want to get in the seasonal baking spirit? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gretchen McKay put together a luscious mac and cheese that dumps the “spice” part but goes heavy on the pumpkin — or should we say squash. Try this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe that puts fall spin on classic.
Recipe: Pumpkin mac and cheese puts fall spin on classic
Contributing: Kate Bradshaw and John Metcalfe, Bay Area News Group; Cathy Thomas and Carla Vigos, Southern California News Group; Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel; Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Tribune News Service; Melissa Clark, The New York Times News Service Syndicate