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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 and pumpkin beer options abound — consider with a different type of treat. We sourced 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, , and . Now, on to the treats!
Pumpkin spice cake
Traditional pumpkin-pie spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice — meet in this 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.
Pumpkin spice cheesecake
Forget boring pumpkin bread. This 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).
Pumpkin spice cookies
For a more straightforward, travel-friendly bake, throw some 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.
We also found another version of pumpkin spice cookies with a little oatmeal in the recipe, making for a less cake-like bite. These are from Laguna Woods Globe contributor , who first tasted these cookies in 1997 and became a fan.
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 . He and coauthor Douglas Trattner teamed up to write “Simply Symon Suppers” (Clarkson Potter, $35), a compendium of 165 recipes that includes the . “You can cheat a little by using a store-bought crust,” according to the chef.
Pumpkin spice tres leches
If you’re ready to bake but also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, there’s a recipe that will allow you to scratch both itches. Try your hand at from ’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-butterscotch custard with spiced whipped cream
"Butterscotch pudding isn’t traditional on most Thanksgiving menus, but I adore its brown-sugar creaminess anytime itap 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.
Pumpkin spice whoopie pies
An array of spices and a small dose of molasses come together in these from pastry chef Rachel Klemek; the cakes sandwich an irresistible cream cheese filling, writes OC Register contributor Cathy Thomas.
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 that puts fall spin on classic.
Contributing: and , Bay Area News Group; and Carla Vigos, Southern California News Group; ; Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Tribune News Service; Melissa Clark, The New York Times News Service Syndicate
