Pumpkin Recipes from Pinterest: Pumpkin Fritter Bites, Pumpkin Roll, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

As you know from years past, I love my pumpkin recipes.  I thought I would try a few new recipes this year and see if there are any "must haves" that I was missing. 

Yes, I have made pumpkin rolls before, but sometimes trying a new recipe can show you how to improve upon your favorite.  So...here's what I've been making! 

(And I will say that even my children are already asking for my Pumpkin Maple & Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies with this rush of pumpkin goodies in our home, so the annual tradition has not been trumped...yet.  However, I think that they may all beg for pumpkin rolls annually, too, now.  They're just a weakness for me, so I don't make them often.)

 

I saw the recipe for Baked Pumpkin Fritter Bites over on The Baker Mama, and I thought that they would be a great bite-sized treat for the adults and kids alike.  Seriously, how cute are they?
I never have "Pumpkin Pie Spice" on hand, so I substituted my own version.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe
1 1/4 t. cinnamon,
1/4 t. nutmeg,
1/4 t. ginger,
1/8 t. cloves,
1/8 t. allspice

I added 1 t. cinnamon and 1/8 t. nutmeg to the icing, and I cut the powdered sugar to 1 1/2 C.

I loved the "bites" fresh out of the oven after the first "dunk" in the icing.  If you do the second dunk, they don't keep very well and get soggy and gooey if you aren't going to eat them all immediately.  Next time, I think I'll omit the second dunk entirely.

See, I said next time, which means that I do intend to make them again.  I also think that next time, I may make some cream cheese filling with cream cheese, powdered sugar, clear Mexican vanilla, and butter, chill, roll into pea-sized balls and put them in the middle of each fritter bite before baking. 

 The heart shape in the center of my Pumpkin Roll was pure luck.  I've used many Pumpkin Roll recipes over the years, but this time, I tried Gimme Some Oven's recipe which is based off of Libby's traditional pumpkin roll recipe.  Again, I used clear Mexican vanilla, and I added a little more cinnamon and ginger - as well as a touch of allspice
If you've never made a pumpkin roll or are scared that it's too much/too hard, cast all of that aside and just DO it.  It's really NOT hard.  (The hardest part is flipping the cake off of the pan onto the powdered sugar towel, and...well, I promise you can do that.)
Be sure to liberally cover your towel with powdered sugar so that your cake doesn't stick to it.
I didn't try Gimme Some Oven's dental floss trick, but my pumpkin roll held up beautifully and didn't flatten when sliced.  Her trick is brilliant nonetheless (it just wasn't required this time.)
YUM!  This truly is one of my weaknesses.  I could eat the.whole.thing.

I love the Six Sisters blog, and so when I saw their Pumpkin Snickerdoodle recipe, I knew I had to try it.  When she says "chewy", she means it.  They are so incredibly soft and chewy! My favorite snickerdoodles are a little crispy on the outside, so at first, I wasn't sure what to think...then, I had a couple with my coffee, and I was in love.   I only used 2 3/4 C flour, added a little extra pumpkin, clear Mexican vanilla, and more cinnamon when I made them.  I smashed mine with the bottom of a glass to make them a little more consistent in shape and size.  Next time, I will do the same, but I'll also sprinkle on some raw sugar for a texture contrast after "smashing" them.