In Time for Halloween: Pumpkin Spice Caramel Lollipops

I’m not really a pumpkin spice latte fan. But I do like big mugs of hot, comforting drinks to sip slowly while watching autumnlight dwindle. And a long-handled stirrer to twirl pensively (I’m an inveterate fiddler). So it suddenly dawned on me last week: why not make an edible stirrer? One that might produce a pumpkin-pie-spiced coffee to my liking?

Autumn is for caramel: that cozy golden hue fits the season perfectly. I’ve been cooking a lot of sugar lately, so I’m surprised I didn’t think of spiced, Halloween-appropriate candy sooner.

These caramels strike a balance between a truly hard lollipop and a softer, chewy caramel – I needed them firm enough to not get limp and sticky on a lollipop stick, but I also needed them soft enough to melt once swirled into hot coffee. To that end, it’s important to cook the caramel to the right temperature; if you stop at a lower temperature, it won’t harden properly. If it’s a hot day (which, if it’s fall, should be less of a concern), you can store them in the refrigerator to ensure they stay firm and take them out shortly before serving. However, if you’re looking for soft caramels, you can certainly cook them to around 250 degrees F, and you’ll get the chewy, gooey kind of caramel that needs to be wrapped in wax paper. If you’re still in need of something sweet to hand out on Halloween, these are wonderfully quick to make.

The husband called them gingerbread caramels, with their spice-and-brown-sugar flavor. If you want to make them more like pumpkin pie, you can add a tablespoon of pumpkin puree into the caramel after you take it off the heat. I love them on their own, or you can swirl them around a hot espresso and get a pleasantly sweet, caramelly, spicy-fragrant drink. I would say one 2-in lollipop will blend nicely into a 8-10 ounce coffee.

Here’s to a sweet and spooky Halloween!

makes about 24 small (2 in round) lollipops3/4 cup (150 g) sugar1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar1/4 cup (85 g) light corn syrup1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice - 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-in piecesSpray lollipop molds lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Place lollipop sticks in the molds.Combine sugars, corn syrup, and salt in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 310°F, hard crack stage. Immediately remove saucepan from heat.While sugar is cooking, heat cream, spices, and vanilla in a separate small saucepan just to a boil. Turn heat down to low just to keep cream warm.Remove cooking sugar from heat and add cream slowly; be careful as the mixture will boil up vigorously and settle back down.Add the butter a few pieces at a time, stirring to fully melt and incorporate. Divide the mixture among the prepared molds. Let lollipops cool and harden, about 15 minutes, before removing from the molds. Pumpkin Twinkies for Halloween A Little Candy Corn for Your Halloween Bowl Chocolate Caramel Mignardises Banana Cake with Passionfruit Caramel and Coconut Meringue

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Apple Raisin Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Saturday morning I had an idea.  What if I made cinnamon raisin bread, added chopped apples and rolled a pumpkin spice swirl into the middle?  I had to try it. 

This bread was fantastic.  I say was because Frog Prince and I polished it off in a matter of days.  We might have made French Toast out of it too, which was so fantastic we didn’t even need syrup. 

Apple Raisin Pumpkin Swirl Bread – Inspired by Will Cook for Smiles

Ingredients

• 1 C warm water
• 1/2 C (heaping) raisins
• 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 T butter, melted
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 C white whole wheat flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 small tart apple, peeled & finely diced
• 2 T sweet potato or pumpkin puree
• Ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg
• 1 T coarse sugar

Directions

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine together 1 C warm water (no hotter than 120 degrees F) with 2 1/4 tsp. yeast.  Allow this to sit for 5 minutes, until frothy.  Meanwhile, combine the heaping 1/2 C of raisins with water, enough that the raisins are submerged in water.  Allow these raisins to sit and plump in the water for 10 or so minutes. 

Once the yeast is ready, add in 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 C milk, 1 T melted butter and 1 tsp. cinnamon. 

Then, one cup at a time, add in the whole wheat and white whole wheat flour.  The dough might be sticky, and if it is at this point, add a little more flour.  Knead at a medium speed on your mixer for 5-6 minutes. 

Drain the water from the raisins and add the raisins along with a little pinch more of flour to the dough and allow the mixture to knead the raisins into the dough for an additional 5-7 minutes. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour, until it has about doubled in size. 

Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles, and then stretch the dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 8-inches long (or as long as your loaf pan) and about 1/2 inch thick. 

Spread 2 T sweet potato or pumpkin puree over the dough.  Sprinkle with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, or a pre-mixed pumpkin spice mixture.

Arrange apple slices over the top. 

Roll up the dough and place the loaf seam-side down into your greased loaf pan.  Lightly spritz the top with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle with 1 T coarse sugar. 

Cover and allow the dough to rise again, about 30-45 minutes, until the dough has risen above the rim of the pan. 

Then, uncover and bake the bread in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  The bread should be lightly browned and sound hallow when knocked/tapped. 

Remove the bread from the pan, and place on a cooing rack.  Cool completely (I know… it’s so tough to wait!!!) before slicing.  Slice and serve. 

Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

So last week, I shared with you delicious apple oatmeal bites.  And, until I made these, those were my favorite.  Then, I made some pumpkin oatmeal cookie dough, added chocolate chips and called it an afternoon snack. 

They count as a snack because they are wholesome, and they aren’t baked.  They are only a cookie if they are baked, right?! 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites – Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients

• 1 C quick cook oats
• 1/2 C oat flour*
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 C brown sugar
• 1/8 C honey
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 C sweet potato puree
• 1/8 C dark chocolate chips

Directions

Begin by making the oat flour – to do so, take roughly 1/2 C oats and grind them in a food processor or blender until a flour forms.  Combine the oat flour with 1 C quick cooking oats in a large bowl.  Add in a pinch of salt, 1/8 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. 

Mix in 1/8 C chocolate chips (more or less to taste). 

In a second bowl, combine 1/8 C brown sugar, 1/8 C honey, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/3 C sweet potato puree. 

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones until moist.  Then, refrigerate for 5-10 minutes. 

Shape into balls and place into an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Makes about 12 1 T bite-sized cookie dough bites. 

Enjoy!

Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Makes about 1 dozen. 

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Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Bars with Caramel Topping

Looking for a quick and easy way to make Rice Krispie bars more fall like?  While we love our apple version, this pumpkin spice topped with caramel is delicious too!

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krisipie Bars with Caramel Topping

Ingredients

• 2 T butter
• 1 T sweet potato puree (or pumpkin)
• 1 (10 oz) bag mini marshmallows
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• pinch of ginger
• 6 C brown rice krispies
• Your favorite caramels

Directions

Gather ingredients. 

Melt 2 T butter in a large pot, and then turn the heat to low.  Add in the marshmallows and heaping 1 T sweet potato or pumpkin puree.  Allow the marshmallows to cook on low, stirring frequently as the marshmallows melt.

Stir in the spices. 

Once the marshmallows are melted, pour in the 6 C brown rice krispies.  Working quickly, stir to combine and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. 

For a thicker bar, you may want to choose a 9x9 baking dish.  Either way, spray your hand with olive oil and then press the bars into the pan. 

After 15 minutes, cut the bars into squares.  To serve, top each with a soft caramel.

To soften a caramel: unwrap and microwave for 10 seconds.  Alternatively, hold the wrapped caramel in your hand for a few minutes to let it soften.   Enjoy!

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Ingredient Spotlight: Pumpkin

Thanks for joining us again this week for the Ingredient Spotlight.  Last week, we featured whole wheat flour and had some fantastic recipes from stuffed whole wheat naan to pumpkin ale cinnamon rolls. 

This week, to kick off October, we’re talking PUMPKIN!  Pumpkin needs little to no introduction, except that it is awesome and delicious.  And, if you happen to be allergic to it, sweet potato is an excellent substitute. 

Here are our favorite recipes:

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Pumpkin Gingersnaps

Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Topping

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Cranberry Loaves

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Bars

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Join us next week for Wild Rice. 

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Overnight Pumpkin Pie French Toast with Apples

This overnight French Toast bake reminds me of bread pudding – perfectly warm and wonderfully spiced!  The flavors and texture made for a great breakfast. 

This recipe comes from the fearless leader of the Secret Recipe Club, April!  April has been a long time reader of Finding Joy in My Kitchen, and I’ve been reading her blog for a long time myself.  I knew I’d find some yummy recipes at Angel’s Homestead.  In fact, I even tried two!  My first recipe was Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal {photo below}.  I also thought about trying the ABC Frittata (Apple, Bacon & Cheddar Frittata). 

But, when I saw this overnight Pumpkin Pie French Toast, I knew I found the recipe to make for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. 

We didn’t make too many adaptations except for cutting the recipe in half (since there’s only 2 of us), using sweet potatoes in place of pumpkin, and we added apples – because sometimes that’s the only way I can convince my husband to enjoy pumpkin! 

The apples and pumpkin were a hit around here – the only thing I’d do differently next time is substitute in our apple maple sauté for uncooked apples.  The apples released a lot of liquid during baking, which made for a moist final product. So, next time I’ll go with sautéed apples.  If the apples are too risky for you – serve the original recipe version topped with the sautéed apples! 

Overnight Pumpkin Pie French Toast with Apples – Adapted from April

Ingredients

• 1/2 loaf of whole wheat bread, torn or cubed
• 8 oz. sweet potato (or pumpkin) puree
• 3 eggs
• 1 C milk
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 apples, quartered and sliced thin (sautéed recommended)

Directions

Being by layering apples (we peeled ours) over the bottom of a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.  When I make this again, I’ll use a 9x13 pan, so I recommend you do the same!  Also – don’t forget – sauté your apples!

Top the apples with 1/2 loaf of bread that has been cubed or torn in to large chunks. 

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 C (8 oz) sweet potato puree, 3 eggs, 1/4 C brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg.  Stir or whisk until well combined. 

Stir in 1 C milk. 

Pour the puree mixture over the bread and apples.  Cover & refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, uncover the dish and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned and set. 

Serve warm.  You may wish to serve with maple syrup or cinnamon syrup. 

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