I know not all of us love pumpkin spice desserts, but it’s just a name. I know you love cinnamon in your apple pie and nutmeg in your eggnog. Maybe you love tasting baking new things for the people you love. Pumpkin spice is just a label used to describe the blend of all four spices. I love this combination because of how complex it is on your taste buds. That first bite sparks joy. You can trust the dessert, and see what you like about the spices. As long as you have a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa, you’ll be ready. Come along with me to see which dessert we thought tasted the best with spice.
With so many pumpkin spice recipe choices nowadays it felt time to put these classic four to the test. Do they benefit from pumpkin spice? Do they still taste better than the original dessert? Would I make them again? Scroll down to watch the video and read along to find out which desserts can handle the pumpkin. Will it pumpkin spice?
The Desserts:
I chose these four desserts that remind me of childhood. I think any recipe can always use face-life, so I chose desserts that everyone loves. I think of desserts my mom made or that my grandma loved and we figure out if it works. Will it pumpkin spice?
Pumpkin Spiced Brownies:
My most ambitious choice of the four desserts. Chocolatey. Fudgy. Chewy. Spice-y? I don’t think of adding spice to chocolate simply because chocolate is a strong enough spice. Most times when it comes to adding ingredients to a brownie recipe you see nuts, chocolate chips, or other textural components to keep every bite exciting. We were a frosted brownie home growing up, so I thought pumpkin spice topping? Do you think brownies can withstand a pumpkin buttercream frosting?
Check out the full recipe here:Pumpkin Spice Brownies
Pumpkin Spiced Kettle Corn:
My mom was the first person who taught me how to make homemade popcorn and it’s such a treat. You can flavor popcorn with anything because it carries flavor well. Kettle corn makes popcorn sweet which felt like a perfect opportunity to spice things up a bit. The result is addicting.
Check out the full recipe here: Pumpkin Spiced Kettle Corn
Pumpkin Spiced Biscotti:
A dunk-able dessert that has had me hooked ever since my first plunge into a cup of coffee. I’ve heard of pumpkin-spiced biscotti, and I didn’t think twice before adding this one to the list. A perfect biscotti is not only dry and crisp but also has a glaze that melts in your mouth.
Check out the full recipe here: Pumpkin Spiced Biscotti
Pumpkin Spiced Rice Krispie Bars:
The cutest idea I had for a pumpkin spiced dessert was recreating the classic pumpkin square into a newly classic pumpkin Rice Krispie square. Layered with spice-loving flavors like marshmallow and brown butter, these bars came out looking so adorable that I just had to top each with a dollop of whipped cream.
Check out the full recipe here:Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats
The Results:
Pumpkin spice still hits and continues to amaze my taste buds while eating nostalgic desserts with a twist. My favorite of the four by far was the Rice Krispie pumpkin square. WOW! Two layers of flavors which include one browned butter-spiced layer that I will forever be making with my original Rice Krispie treats and one pumpkin-spiced layer that complements the original dessert as you still get that wonderful chew and crisp. The part that took it to the next level had to be the whipped cream on top. A cherry on top of a wonderful dessert. The Brownies tasted really good, especially with a cup of coffee. While these were delicious frosted and spiced, they were pretty sweet, so I’d recommend cutting the brownies into smaller pieces or just making a little less buttercream thus toning down the sweetness to just a bite. I hope this experiment get’s you to give spice another chance because some magical things can be made out of just adding four simple spices.