I simply adore the pumpkin season :) Just some treats that may strike your fancy: Caramelized Baked Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, and Pumpkin Cupcakes.

Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

Recipe courtesy of The Food Network

• 1/2 cup butterscotch caramel sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups pumpkin seeds, roasted
• 1 cup almonds, crushed

Directions

Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, slowly melt the caramel sauce and sugar. When melted stir in cinnamon extract and cayenne. Continue cooking until mixture reaches a temperature of 310 degrees F. Stir in pumpkin seeds until completely coated. Spread caramelized seeds onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed almonds. Separate seeds with wooden spoon until cooled.

Cook’s Notes:

Melted sugar is very hot. Please use extreme caution when handling and pouring. Pumpkin seeds may be purchased already roasted. If using the seeds from a jack-o-lantern, rinse and clean seeds. Place on a baking sheet, lightly coated with cooking spray, in a preheated 250 degree F oven. Roast seeds for about 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. The actual seed of the pumpkin is inside the hull. The hull is edible.

Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of The Food Network

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

—

Cook Time:

8 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

2 servings

Ingredients

Pecan Syrup:

• 1 cup maple-flavored pancake syrup
• 5 tablespoons pecans, toasted and chopped

Pancakes:

• 1 cup buttermilk pancake mix
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
• Butter, room temperature

Directions

Pecan Syrup Preparation:

Combine maple syrup and pecans in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until hot, about 25 seconds. Set pecan syrup aside and keep warm.

Pancake Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk pancake mix, water, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger until just blended (do not over mix; mixture should be lumpy).

Spray a heavy griddle with nonstick spray and heat griddle over medium heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batteronto griddle to form each pancake. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles appear, then turn pancakes over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer pancakes to plates. Top with butter and serve with warm pecan syrup.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Recipe by Duncan Hines
Servings:Makes 12 standard and 24 mini cupcakesRating:4.5 stars

Description:

This project bridges the holidays and makes a terrific dessert centerpiece for gatherings from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The patch is made from both standard size and mini cupcakes baked in white or orange liners. Cupcakes are topped with a bonnet of orange frosting. The icing is rolled in orange sugar and the ribs are shaped by pressing a bamboo skewer into the frosting. The patch is finished off with licorice for stems and tendrils. Then pick your favorite and start eating!

Ingredients

• 12 Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners
• 24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 2 pieces green licorice twists (e.g. Twizzlers rainbow twists)
• 1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting
• Orange food coloring
• 1 cup orange decorating sugar
• Green licorice laces (e.g. Kellogg’s Fruit Streamers, Watermelon Madness)

Baking Instructions

1. Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.
2. Place orange decorating sugar into a shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge, roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.
3. Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 to 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces, to make the tendrils.