No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls

 

I am not a pumpkin pie person. Truth be told, generally speaking, I’m not all that fond of pie anyway, although I have known to break that rule in recent years. I do, however, like pumpkin in various baked goods, and now in an unbaked good, like these easy and delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls. There wasn’t really much to putting them together. There is that rather tedious aspect of having to roll them into balls, but in this case, the effort was well worth it. They freeze beautifully, so you can make these a couple weeks ahead of your Thanksgiving (or other special) dinner, and remove to the refrigerator an hour or two before serving.

 No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls

 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. pumpkin puree

½ c. powdered sugar

1½ t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

¼ t. kosher salt

1 c. graham cracker crumbs*, plus extra for rolling

1 c. white chocolate chips, melted, divided

 In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

 Add the pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and mix until the mixture holds together. Melt ½ cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave. Add to mixture and beat to combine.

 Scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized portions and roll into balls.

 Roll each ball in additional graham cracker crumbs to coat.

Melt remaining white chocolate chips and drizzle on top of the cheesecake balls.

 Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.

 For extra flavor, sprinkle some cinnamon or graham cracker crumbs on top before the white chocolate sets.

 Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 *As an alternative use half graham cracker crumbs and gingersnap crumbs.

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Pumpkin Muffins with Bourbon Raisins

 

It just wouldn’t be fall without my whipping up a batch of pumpkin muffins. Every year I try to use a different recipe, or add a bit of variety to existing recipes, by switching or swapping out an ingredient or two. This year I decided that different ingredient was going to be bourbon. These are phenomenal! If you don’t like bourbon, it doesn’t matter, it is not overt, it just adds to the overall deliciousness, while enhancing the flavor of the pumpkin. The raisins are plump and fabulous here, particularly considering that I used two different kinds. I guarantee that these are going to be a part of my Thanksgiving table. I believe that I can also guarantee they will disappear in a flash.

Pumpkin Muffins with B0urbon Raisins

½ c. raisins

½ c. golden raisins

½ c. bourbon

2 large eggs

1 c. pumpkin purée

1¼ c. sugar

¾ t. ground cloves

¾ t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

 1/3 c. canola oil

1¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda 

The night before, soak the raisins in the bourbon, do not drain.

 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.

 In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, stir in the pumpkin, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the canola oil and mix well.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture with half of the raisin-water mixture.  Mix well, add remaining raisin mixture; stir to mix.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake until the top springs back when pressed with fingers, about 25 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar when they have cooled.

 

This recipe makes 12 to 16 standard size muffins.

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Harvest Spice Bread

This is a wonderful transitional loaf that will take you from fall into winter. The reason it’s transitional is because it contains 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée that you no doubt have lurking in the back of your refrigerator from other pumpkin things you made in the fall. It also has crisp apples, crunchy carrots, and walnuts. The next time I make this, and I will, I’m going to add rum soaked raisins (or cranberries). I like breads that are packed with goodness, and this particular one lends itself to that very thing.

Harvest Spice Bread

From sallysbakingaddiction.com

1¾ cup flour
1 t. baking soda
¾ t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ t. ground cloves
¼ t. ground ginger
½ c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ c. granulated sugar
 ½ c. dark brown sugar
½ c. pumpkin purée
1 heaping cup (about one large) peeled and shredded apple
¾ c. (about 2 large) peeled and shredded carrots
2 T. milk
1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, shredded apple, shredded carrot, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Fold in walnuts.

Spread the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until bread tests done.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

 

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

I have had a lot of pumpkin muffins in my time, but none as good as these. I baked them Sunday morning shortly before number one son and my nine-year-old granddaughter were to arrive. Honestly, that girl can sniff out baked goods like nobody’s business. Once she was through the door, she made a beeline to the kitchen and stared at them telling me how good she thought they looked. (What that meant in kid speak was, “Give me one, please!”) She made so many yummy sounds while she was eating a portion of this muffin, that my son had to follow suit, and they both loved them. Well, just look at them!

They don’t require getting out a hand mixer, everything can be stirred together; you’ll dirty couple of bowls, but they are well worth it. Trust me.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

From sallysbakingaddiction.com

1¾ c. flour

1 t. baking soda

2 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

½ t. salt

½ c. vegetable oil

½ c. sugar

½ c. packed brown sugar

1½ c. canned pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, room temperature

¼ c. milk, room temperature

Crumb Topping

¾ c. flour

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. packed brown sugar

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

6 T. unsalted butter, melted

Maple Icing

1½ c. confectioners’ sugar

2 T. pure maple syrup

2 T. milk

 Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 15 muffins, so prepare a second muffin pan in the same manner. Set aside.

 Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.

 Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost full.

 Make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Using a fork, lightly mix in the melted butter until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter so they’re snug.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F and then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21-22 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan as you make the icing.*

 Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together until combined and smooth. Drizzle over muffins and serve warm. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 * I pretty much feel the same way about regular size muffins as I do those fun size candy bars. Personally, I can have a lot more fun with a big candy bar that I can with a fun size, and I can enjoy large muffins more small. If you decide to make jumbo muffins, you can pretty much put all of the batter into all six wells of your jumbo muffin pan. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 20. That worked well for me.

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