Pumpkin-Flavored Halloween Treats

Fiona Adams, Senior

Whether you like scary movies or Disney Channel October specials, these pumpkin flavored treats are sure to get you in the Halloween spirit!

Starting off with a well-loved classic, pumpkin pie is the perfect dessert to celebrate the holiday. To make the crust you’ll need 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 a cup of butter cut into 1/2" pieces, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, 1/4 a teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and 4 tablespoons of ice water. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt together. Once they're fully mixed, add the butter and pulse until it forms pea-sized clumps. While still mixing, add the vinegar and ice water into the dough, one tablespoon at a time. Test the dough every so often to see if it's reached the desired moistness. When done, roll the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk on a lightly-floured surface. Then place it in the refrigerator and for at least two hours. After it has fully set, lightly grease a 9”-x-1.5” pie dish with cooking spray and drape a 12” circle of dough onto it. Prick the bottom with a fork and then freeze it for 10 minutes. Before baking, line the crust with parchment and fill it with dried beans to weigh it down. Bake it for 10 minutes at 425º. To make the filling you'll need 1 (15-oz.) can of pumpkin puree, 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream, 3/4 cups of packed brown sugar, 3 large eggs (beaten), 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 a teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Mix the pumpkin, cream, brown sugar, eggs, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla together until smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and bake for around 55-60 minutes at 350º, and you’re done! Serve with whipped cream if desired.

To make some delicious pumpkin cinnamon buns you'll need 1/2 a cup of warm milk, 1 (0.25-oz.) packet of active dry yeast, 1 large egg (room temperature), 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 a cup of packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, and 4 tablespoons of butter (softened). Add the milk and yeast together and let it sit for five minutes. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together, then add the yeast mixture, pumpkin, and egg and mix on medium speed with a dough hook. Add the butter a little bit at a time, and continue mixing on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. When done, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for 1-1½ hours. To make the cinnamon-spice filling, mix 1 stick of butter (softened), 3/4 a cup of packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 a teaspoons of kosher salt, 1/4 a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/4 a teaspoon of ground cloves together in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 400°, and grease a 9”-x-13” baking pan with cooking spray. Roll the dough out into an 18”-x-14” rectangle on a lightly-floured surface and spread the filling all over it. Top with 1/2 a cup of chopped pecans if desired. Roll the dough up tightly into a log, starting at the long end, and trim the ends off. Cut the log into about 12 cinnamon rolls and cover them with a kitchen towel on the pan to let them rise for another 30 more minutes. After they’ve about doubled in size, uncover and bake for around 25 minutes and you're done! You can also easily mix together 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened), 4 tablespoons of butter (softened), 1 cup of powdered sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to make a delicious cream cheese frosting to top it off and compliment the pumpkin flavor!