Fall is right around the corner, and that means one thing…it’s also officially pumpkin spice season! (One of our favorite things about fall here at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction.)
It’s the season many of us have been waiting for all year, and we can’t wait to indulge in our favorite pumpkin spice cookie, pie, and latte recipes!
And there is no better time than now to whip out some of our favorite delicious pumpkin spice recipes.
The best part is that many of our favorite pumpkin spice recipes actually contain pumpkin, a very healthy and nutritious food.
So healthy, in fact, that pumpkin is well known for the following health benefits:
- Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin A, a vitamin essential to keep your eyes healthy.
- Pumpkin is packed with fiber, which is good for heart health.
- Pumpkin is full of antioxidants, which make it an anti-inflammatory food.
That being said, please understand that eating copious amounts of pumpkin will in no way give you all the nutrients you need to live a healthy life.
However, the many health benefits that pumpkins do have surely make us feel less guilty as we consume our favorite pumpkin spice treats!
Keep reading to discover some of our favorite pumpkin spice recipes.
Whole Grain Pumpkin Spice Waffles
Ingredients:
- 2¼ cups (200 grams) oat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
- 3 large eggs
- Scant 2/3 cup milk of choice (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
- Scant ½ cup melted coconut oil or 7½ tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup (122 grams) packed pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions:
#1 In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and all spice or cloves. Whisk to combine.
#2 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the milk, coconut oil or butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
#3 Pour the liquid mixture into the oat flour mixture. Stir with a big spoon until just combined (the batter will still be a little lumpy). Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the oat flour has time to soak up some of the moisture. Plug in your waffle iron to preheat now.
#4 Once 10 minutes is up, give the batter one more, gentle swirl with your spoon. The batter will be pretty thick, but don’t worry! Your waffles will turn out great. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area, and close the lid.
#5 Once the waffle is deeply golden and crisp, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other or they’ll lose crispness. If desired, keep your waffles warm by placing them in a 200-degree oven until you’re ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with desired toppings on the side.
Recipe Source: http://cookieandkate.com/2014/gluten-free-pumpkin-spice-waffles/
Pumpkin Chai Latte
Ingredients:
- Latte
- 1 tea bag of spiced chai (or decaf spiced chai rooibos)
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons real pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup or honey
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- Dash nutmeg
- Dash cloves
- Tiny dash salt
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch (optional, makes the latte super creamy)
- Optional garnishes: 1 cinnamon stick or star of anise, coconut whipped cream
- Optional coconut whipped cream
- 1 can (14 ounces) full fat coconut milk, chilled at least 10 hours (the coconut milk MUST be full fat and MUST be refrigerated for at least 10 hours. Put a mixing bowl in the freezer to chill while you’re at it.)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
#1 In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to a gentle boil. Remove the water from heat, add the tea bag, and let it steep for 4 minutes. Before removing the tea bag, squeeze any water remaining out by pressing the tea bag against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon.
#2 Add the almond milk, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt to the pan. Whisk in the optional arrowroot starch or cornstarch. Pour the mixture into a stand blender and blend for a minute or two, until the components are blended together and the drink is nice and creamy. (You can alternatively use an immersion blender, but I had much better results with my stand blender.)
#3 Pour the mixture back into your pan and gently rewarm on the stove, then pour it into a mug. Top with totally optional whipped coconut cream and/or garnish with totally optional cinnamon stick or star of anise.
#4 To make the coconut whipped cream: Pull out the chilled can of coconut milk and mixing bowl. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the solid coconut cream into the chilled bowl (you can use the remaining coconut water in smoothies). Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon and gently blend again to combine. Use the coconut cream immediately or cover and store in the fridge for later (it will be soft at room temperature and more firm when cold).
Recipe Source: http://cookieandkate.com/2014/homemade-pumpkin-chai-latte/
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 15 ounces (1 and 1/2 cups) pumpkin
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1/3 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
#1 Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, whisking well to break up any lumps of pumpkin.
#2 Chill in the refrigerator until cold, then whisk again.
#3 Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer, and let it soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping.
Recipe Source: http://acalculatedwhisk.com/pumpkin-spice-ice-cream-vegan-paleo/