Nothing says "Fall" to me better than the smell of pumpkin pie. I have to admit, as much as I love pumpkin pie, I can only have it on Thanksgiving. I'm sure there is some deep psychological reason for that, but I can't afford the therapy to find out what it is. So, to satisfy my need for pumpkin pie without actually having pumpkin pie, I decided to pumpkin it up a little differently this weekend.
I bought a 32 oz of pumpkin mix and made three different wonderful pumpkin delights. This is what I made: Pumkin muffins, pumpkin coffee creamer and a silky pumpkin dessert.
If you are heading out to the store, this is what you will need: 32 oz. can of pumpkin pie mix (16 oz for muffins, 6 oz for coffee creamer, 10 oz for dessert), one box of yellow cake mix, one box of instant vanilla pudding, 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, 16 oz. tub of greek yogurt, one tub of whipped topping.
Pumpkin Muffins
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Ingredients:
One box of Yellow Cake Mix
16 oz. Pumpkin Pie Mix
One box of Instant Vanilla Pudding
Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 350
Prepare vanilla pudding per directions and put in refrigerator to set
Mix yellow cake mix with 16 oz. of pumpkin pie mix. Yup, that's it. The batter will be thick, don't worry. Spoon into muffin tins, about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Time to fill the muffins with pudding. I am sure there is a more professional way of doing this, but I like to do things the easy way, so here is my method. Take a wooden spoon, carefully insert the end of it into the muffin. Now comes the tricky part... Kind of twist the spoon around in the muffin to make a little cavern inside. I know, there's probably a technical term for this, but I have no idea what it is. So, twirl the spoon handle around, make a nice little comfy hiding place in there. Now, some of you may have the proper piping bags, but I don't. I used a little food storage bag. Add pudding to the bag and take a small snip off of one corner. Gently pipe the pudding into the muffin.
Top with a little dusting of powdered sugar. How was that for quick and easy? And trust me, these are moist and delicious.
Pumpkin Coffee Creamer
Ingredients:
16 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
6 oz. Pumpkin Pie Mix
16 oz. Milk
Pretty tricky stuff here. Mix all of the above ingredients together. Okay, and you're done. That's it.
Pour into jars. I used 8 oz jars. This recipe made 5 jars. Keep refrigerated and shake before using.
Silky Pumpkin Dessert
(okay, so I'm looking for a better name.. let me know if you have a suggestion)
Ingredients
16 oz. Greek Yogurt
One tub of Whipped Topping
10 oz. Pumpkin Pie Mix
Another easy one...Mix yogurt and pumpkin mix together. Layer in glass or bowl with the whipped topping. Top with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. And serve. Really. That's it. Isn't it pretty? Almost too pretty to eat. Yah, right. Dig in.
These recipes are too good to keep to yourself. Having your girlfriends over for coffee? Serve them pumpkin muffins and coffee with pumpkin creamer. You know they will want the recipe. Give them each a little jar of creamer to take home with them.
Having an office get together? Bring a large jar of coffee creamer. You will be very popular and could quite possibly get a raise.
Having friends over for dinner? The yet-to-be-named silky pumpkin dessert would be perfect. And it is made with greek yogurt, so it's kind of good for you. Kind of.
Going to see family at Thanksgiving? Bring pumpkin muffins and pumpkin creamer for dessert. It will soon become a family tradition.
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I enjoyed making them.
