Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake

This recipe made its way to my inbox and I just had to try it. Everyone LOVED it! Enjoy.

Find the original recipe here: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/pumpkin-caramel-poke-cake/

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake with Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 15-ounce can (425 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup (140 g) neutral-flavored oil, like canola or vegetable oil
• 3 large (150 g) eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour

Caramel Sauce: (Optionally, use a premade jarred caramel sauce.)

• 1 ½ cups (318 g) packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup (170 g) (12 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces
• ⅓ cup (80 g) milk, preferably not skim (I use 2%)
• Pinch table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting:

• 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (363 g) heavy whipping cream (see note)
• ½ to 1 cup toffee bits, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. For the cake, in a large bowl, add the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Whisk until very well-combined.
3. Add the flour and mix until the batter is fully combined.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch. (Add time, as needed – exact baking time will depend on pan type and exact oven temperature; don't over bake or the cake will be dry.)
5. Remove from the oven and let cool until just slightly warm (it's ok if it cools completely, but the caramel soaks in better if the cake is still a bit warm).
6. For the caramel sauce (make while the cake bakes), in a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, milk and salt. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes without stirring.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool to warm room temperature. You'll use 1 cup of the caramel sauce for the cake and the remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce for the frosting.
8. When the cake has mostly cooled but is still slightly warm, poke holes all throughout the top of the cake, making sure to poke all the way to the bottom of the cake. You can use a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, large knitting needle (my "utensil" of choice!) or anything else that you have on hand. The holes need to be large enough for the thick caramel to soak in (so don't use something as small as the tines of a fork).
9. Gradually drizzle 1 cup of the warm (but not hot) caramel sauce over the top of the cake and use a spatula to smooth and gently press the caramel into the holes. If the caramel is taking a while to sink into the cake, stop pouring the caramel sauce over the top, wait a few minutes to give the caramel time to drizzle down into the cake, and then proceed until the full 1 cup of the caramel has been used.
10. Let the cake and caramel cool completely before frosting. At this point, the cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for several hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
11. For the whipped caramel cream frosting, in a bowl with an electric handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), add the cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce (this portion of sauce should be completely cooled before using). Mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
12. Add the heavy cream (see note before adding!), and mix on low speed until the mixture is evenly combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the frosting is thick and creamy (and can easily be spread like frosting).
13. Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled cake. Sprinkle with toffee bits, cut into squares, and serve.

Marsha's Notes:

I opted to use a jarred caramel sauce to make this recipe just a tad less complicated, and I thought it worked out beautifully. It also allowed me to use a lower sugar option.

Pumpkin Steamer

One of my recipes doesn't use a full can of pumpkin and this delicious steamer is a great drink to use up some of that leftover pumpkin puree. View the original recipe from Six Sister's Stuff here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/pumpkin-steamers/#wprm-recipe-container-108919

Six Sisters Stuff Pumpkin Steamer

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vanilla almond milk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• whipped cream and cinnamon for topping

Directions:

1. In a pot over medium heat, whisk all ingredients together, besides the toppings, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. Serve warm, and top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Marsha's Notes:

I don't always have sweetened condensed milk on hand, so I subbed with some caramel sauce instead and it was great!

Half of this recipe filled the cup you see in the above image, but if you only want one regular mugfull, make 1/4 of this recipe. So I would say this serves 4, but if you do a large cup, then this serves 2. It is about 200 calories for 4 servings, depending on what kind of milk you use. If you subbed cashew milk, it would be less, regular milk it would be more. You could also continue to cut calories by using zero calorie sweeteners for the brown sugar and condensed milk.

3-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Looking for a low calorie dessert option, I stumbled upon this pumpkin spice latte cake recipe. You make it in a round cake pan, slice the cake into 8 equal pieces, and each piece is only about 130 calories! Just note, you only use part of a can of pumpkin and only part of a boxed cake mix. This cake is much less sweet than a normal cake because of the added coffee, but you can easily dial-down the amount of coffee you use, or omit it entirely and just use water instead. I liked it, but people with a sweet-tooth  or a non-coffee lover might be less thrilled or demand some frosting. You can find the original recipe here: https://www.hungry-girl.com/recipe-makeovers/psl-cake

3-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. instant coffee granules (dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water)
• 1 3/4 cups (about 1/2 box) moist-style spice cake mix
• 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
• Optional toppings: light whipped topping, pumpkin pie seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a glass or mug, stir to dissolve coffee granules in 1/2 cup hot water.
3. Transfer coffee to a large bowl, and add cake mix and pumpkin. Stir until completely smooth and uniform. (Batter will be thick.)
4. Spread batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 25 - 30 minutes.
5. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes in the pan and 30 minutes out of the pan on a cooling rack.
6. Serve topped with whipped cream. 
7. MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Nutrition- 1/8th of cake: 127 calories, 1.5g total fat (1g sat. fat), 212mg sodium, 27g carbs, 1g fiber, 14g sugars, 1.5g protein

Pumpkin Lasagna

A submission from Krystal! To see the original recipe, click here:

https://lilluna.com/pumpkin-lasagna/

Pumpkin Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 rows golden Oreos
• 2 rows pumpkin Oreos or crushed Gingersnaps
• 8 TB unsalted butter melted
• 8 oz PHILADELPHIA cream cheese softened
• 1/2 c butter
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 16 oz container cool whip divided, or use whipped cream
• 2 3.4 oz packages of pumpkin instant pudding
• 3 c milk
• white chocolate bar to make curls with - I use vanilla candy coating

Directions:

1. Begin by crushing your Oreos. For a very fine mixture, place Oreos in your food processor. Place in a ziploc baggie and add your melted butter. Mix until it is well combined.
2. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan spreading out to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
3. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and ½ of the cool whip. Blend well and pour over your Oreo Crust.
4. In another bowl, make your pudding by adding your milk to your bowl and instant pudding. Whisk together until pudding thickens. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes.
5. Top off with the rest of your Cool Whip. Add white chocolate shavings.
6. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. ENJOY!

Notes from Author:

CAN’T FIND THE PUMPKIN PUDDING MIX??

Here is a homemade recipe you can use to take place of the pumpkin pudding (mixed with milk) layer:

1 - 5.1 oz. vanilla instant pudding mix

1 - 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix pudding mix and evaporated milk together and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Add puree and pumpkin pie spice and whisk together and use for the pumpkin pudding layer in this dessert. 😉

CAN’T FIND PUMPKIN OREOS?

I’d use Golden Oreos and add a little bit of Pumpkin Pie Spice OR use crushed Gingersnaps

DON’T LIKE OREOS?

A graham cracker or gingersnap crust on this dessert would be great too. 

Easy Pumpkin Caramel Pull Apart Bread

Another submission from Krystal. To see the original recipe, go here:

https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/easy-pumpkin-caramel-pull-apart-bread-and-the-pumpkin-lovers-cookbook/

Easy Pumpkin Caramel Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pizza dough
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce to drizzle on top
• Flour for surface

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x4 bread loaf pan.
2. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle that's about 16x8 inches in size.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, spices and pecans. Mix until all incorporated.
4. Brush dough with melted butter and drizzle 1/4 cup of caramel all over the dough.
5. Spread pumpkin mixture evenly all over the dough.
6. Cut the dough easily using a pizza cutter, lengthwise, into three long strips. Then cut in width-wise, creating squares. Stack squares and place them side-by-side into the prepared loaf pan. Drizzle some more caramel over the top and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 35-38 minutes.

Dutch Oven Pumpkin Delight

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Delight (Dutch Oven)

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 yellow cake mix, reserve 1 cup of mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (30 oz) can pumpkin
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Topping:

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup cake mix (from above)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 Tbl cold butter

Directions:

Prepare crust:  

1. Mix together cake mix, egg, and melted butter.  
2. Press into bottom and 1 1/2” up sides of a well greased 12” Dutch oven.

Prepare Filling:  

1. In a bowl, combine all filling ingredients and mix well.  
2. Pour filling into Dutch oven to fill crust.

Prepare Topping:  

1. In a small bowl combine cake mix, sugar and cinnamon.  Stir to mix.  
2. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs are formed.  
3. Sprinkle over top of pumpkin filling.

Bake:  

1. Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 1 hour.  
2. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as topping.

Layered Pumpkin Dessert

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Layered Pumpkin Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (15 oz.) Twinkies (ten Twinkies)
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 container (8 oz.) whipped topping
• 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) instant vanilla pudding
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup milk
• Additional pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise and place cream-side up, in single layer, in 9x13 baking dish. 
2. Using a mixer, blend together cream cheese, powdered sugar and ½ of whipped topping until smooth.  Spread evenly over Twinkies.  
3. Combine pudding mix, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and milk.  Whisk until well blended and layer over cream cheese mixture.  
4. Carefully spread remaining whipped topping over pumpkin.  Lightly sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice.  Refrigerate several hours or until set.

Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

Bread Batter:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. cloves
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin (puree)
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or nuts

Cream Cheese Swirl:

• 8 oz. cream cheese                                               
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbl sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.  Set aside.  
2. In a stand mixer bowl, cream room-temperature butter.  Then add in the sugar, mixing until integrated, followed by the eggs one at a time, vanilla and finally pumpkin.  
3. Add half the dry mixture, mixing until just integrated with the wet, and finally add the rest, mixing only as much as needed to form batter.  Fold in chips/nuts. 
4. In another bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese.  Once creamy, add the sugar and egg, beating until totally integrated.  At this point, the cream cheese mixture should be very easily spreadable.
5. In a buttered bread pan, pour about a third of the bread batter, followed by a half of the cream cheese.  Repeat layers and end with last layer of batter (i.e. batter, cheese, batter, cheese, batter.)  When pan is prepared, stab the dough with a knife here and there to give the cream cheese a bit of a swirl.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cool.

Pumpkin Dessert

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dessert

Ingredients:

Dessert:

• 1 yellow cake mix (1 cup set aside)
• ½ cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups pumpkin
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves

Topping:

• 1 cup yellow cake mix (from reserve)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Dessert:  

1. Mix cake mix (to break up clumps) (reserve 1 cup mix) and pat in bottom of 9x13 greased pan.  
2. Mix remaining dessert ingredients together and pour over mixture in pan.

Topping:  

1. Mix together all topping ingredients and sprinkle over top.  
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Marsha's Notes:

When I made this recipe, this is what it looked like.

Dry cake mix in the bottom of the pan.

Filling added, topping sprinkled, and put in the oven to bake.

Finished product.

It was good, but not exactly like the picture at the top of the recipe. I wanted to post these pictures for expectation in the future.

Spider Web Pumpkin Pancakes

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Spider Web Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla 
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• maple syrup and whipped cream

Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla until well blended. 
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except syrup and whipped cream, just until mixed.  
3. Line a 1 qt. pitcher or bowl with gallon-sized reseaslable food-storage plastic bag.  Pour batter into bag, seal bag, pressing out air.  
4. Heat griddle to 375 degrees.  Oil hot griddle.  
5. Cut a small hole in corner of bag.  For each pancake, gently squeeze bag to pipe about 2 Tbl. batter onto hot griddle, forming spider webs.  
6. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until pancakes are puffed and dry around edges.  Turn pancakes; cook about 1 minute longer or until other side is golden brown.  
7. Serve with syrup and whipped cream. You can also make round pancakes instead.

Marsha's Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee

I love to be able to save a little money and make my own recipes at home for the things that I might splurge on when I am out and about. So I created my own version of the super yummy pumpkin spice iced coffee! Enjoy!

Marsha's Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee

Ingredients:

• 1 coffee pod of your choice (I used Wide Awake Coffee Co.'s French Vanilla)
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 1-2 pumps Torani's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup
• splash Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Directions:

1. Brew an 8 oz. cup of coffee of your choice. 
2. Let cool. 
3. Fill a 20 oz. cup 1/3 full of ice cubes. 
4. Add 1/4 cup simple syrup (I like Torani's Sugar Free version for zero calories), 1-2 pumps of Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup, a splash to 1/4 cup Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer (or to your taste). 
5. Stir. Top with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a fun finish. Enjoy!

Marsha's Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

*When I went to a nutrition class for being pre-diabetic, I was told that oatmeal is a "healthy carb" and the one exception I was allowed when pursuing a low-carb diet. So, that is why I have marked these as "low-carb."

I used to go to Pinterest for all my latest recipes, but in the last year or so, people have started going nuts posting recipes and recipe videos on Facebook. This latest creation was adapted from one such Facebook post; Barefeet in the Kitchen's Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Vanilla Whipped Cream. Upon preparing and taste-testing, I changed things up just a touch, but this was some seriously good oatmeal!!! Everyone in my family who tried it, LOVED it. I think I will have to make this again before fall is over. Enjoy!

For the original recipe, go here: http://barefeetinthekitchen.com/pumpkin-pie-oatmeal-recipe/

Marsha's Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk, plus some to thin if needed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1+ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Topping: Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook over medium low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly until the oatmeal has thickened. Stir, stir, stir, or it can burn on the bottom. 
3. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately, or put in small crock pot on low/warm heat to keep warm for a while. If oatmeal over thickens, re-thin with a little extra milk. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

For Christmas this year, I wanted to try something new. My sister had posted on Facebook a recipe that looked similar to this one which I thought looked like a great new idea to try. So, after looking at several different layered pumpkin pies, I settled on Just a Pinch's Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. While the picture they use (the one I included on this post) is a bit misleading... the layers of the pie don't come out with such high contrast because you mix one cup of the cream cheese filling with the pumpkin layer, so it is a bit more pale than what this picture would lead you to believe... but it is still DELICIOUS!

Just a Pinch's Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared pie crust (or graham cracker crust, whichever you prefer)
• 1/2 c pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 c frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Marsha's/Pillsbury's Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bake

I saw this recipe back in the fall and I really wanted to try it out. Our local small grocery stores didn't have the Pillsbury Grands pumpkin spice rolls, but I found some out of town at Wal-Mart. They are a seasonal roll, so you will have to probably wait until next fall for more to come out. However, I think you could make this same recipe with the regular canned cinnamon rolls and have everything turn out equally as well. You could maybe just bump up the "fall flavor" with some pumpkin pie spice.

I tweaked the recipe just a bit by combining this recipe with my Marsha's Kneader's Chunky Cinnamon Bread Pudding recipe, but here is a link to the original Pillsbury recipe if you want it.

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pumpkin-pie-breakfast-bake/301e33a0-e480-467b-9ec8-6c626954d715

I actually don't really care for the taste of canned cinnamon rolls... I mean, they are all right, but not great. So I wonder if this dish would be even better with some Rhode's frozen cinnamon rolls... just food for thought. Or you could use any pre-baked cinnamon roll that you like, but you will need to let the dish sit for awhile/overnight for the cooked rolls to absorb the egg mixture and possibly bump up the milk by 1/2 cup.

Marsha's Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Pillsbury Grands pumpkin spice rolls with icing
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• dash salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• brown sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Separate dough from both cans into rolls and cut each roll into 8 pieces. Place in greased 13x9 or 3 qt. baking dish. If the dough doesn't separate into nice rolls, that is okay. Just chop up the dough into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and milk until well blended. Pour evenly over dough. Sprinkle with pecans and brown sugar. If you have time, you can let this sit for a bit to let things absorb better, but you don't have to.
4. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes. Check. If things are starting to brown too much, cover top with foil. Continue checking and baking for another 10-20 minutes until top is brown and center is set. Cool until dish is just slightly warm, then top with icing from the cinnamon roll package. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Betty Crocker's Pumpkin Cobbler

While my sister was visiting, she picked out this Betty Crocker recipe to try, and I thought it was a great treat for the season.  My sister says that she likes pumpkin pie, but just typically not the pie crust, so this pumpkin cobbler was a great compromise.  Pumpkin pie taste with a crumbly topping instead.  Yummy!  The picture and original recipe are from the Betty Crocker website.

My Lite ’n Easy Pumpkin Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated low-fat milk
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup artificial no-calorie sweetener
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 box (1 lb 2.25 oz) Betty Crocker®SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
• 1 cup fat-free spread, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except cake mix, spread and pecans with wire whisk; pour into pan. In medium bowl, mix cake mix and spread with pastry blender or fork until large clumps form; spoon randomly over mixture in pan (some clumps will sink). Sprinkle with pecans.
3. Bake 48 to 52 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Marsha's Notes:

I used 1 cup of sugar instead of 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup sweetener.  Also, I found that there was just a touch too much butter to make the topping nice and crumbly, so add the butter a little at a time until you get the consistency that you need.

Marsha's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Cream Cheese Frosting)

Yes, I have been absent from my recipe blog for awhile, but I do have a two month old son now!  In honor of fall and one of my favorite October/November recipes, I am sharing this classic for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I hope you enjoy!  I have no idea where this recipe came from, but it's great.

Marsha's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cream together sugar and butter.  
2. Add pumpkin/squash, baking powder, soda and salt.  
3. Mix in flour, cinnamon and last the chocolate chips.  
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Frost with cream cheese frosting (click here for recipe).

Marsha's Notes:

Cream cheese frosting here: https://1brother2sisters.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-frosting.html

If you are looking to use the entire can of pumpkin and the entire brick of cream cheese for the frosting, just double both the recipes.

Using my two-inch cookie scoop made the perfect sized cookies, baking 12 to a sheet. They also make for a smoother appearance on the top of the cookies, as opposed to using a couple of regular spoons to portion the dough. (Compare the above images from different batches.) Scooping the batter this way made a total of about 36 cookies, or three full cookie sheets.