Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mummies!

Whether you want to make it all from scratch or use store-bought items, these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mummy kolaches are sure to be a Halloween favorite.

 

Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mummies

 

Ingredients:

• Crescent roll sheets (I used regular crescent rolls and pressed them together, because our store didn't have any crescent sheets.)
• Pumpkin butter (homemade is my preference, but store-bought works just as well. I use a modified version of this recipe. This could also be substituted with any jelly or other fruit butter.)
• 3 oz. Cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used clear Mexican Vanilla)
•  1 Tablespoon milk (more as desired) 
• Candy eyes (or raisins, dried cherries or blueberries, or other candies)

Directions:

 

1. Whip cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
2. Roll out crescent roll sheets on parchment paper and divide into 4 rectangles.
3. Cut slits on left 1/3 and right 1/3 of each rectangle.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture in center 1/3 of each rectangle.
5. Spread pumpkin butter on top of cream cheese mixture.
6. Pull alternating strips across the center of each rectangle leaving a slight opening near the top for the eyes. 
7. If you are using dried fruit, you can place them in before baking.  If you are using candy for the eyes, place them in after baking.
8. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

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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. 

Pumpkin Maple and Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies

There seems to be a great deal of discrepancy as to where this particular recipe orignated, but it sounds so amazing, I *had* to make some today.  I promised to keep you posted as to whether or not I love them, hate them (not likely), or altered them (always a strong possibility.)

I will say that they are very good.  However, they needed adjustments.  It was way too much ginger for me; I cut the original recipe drastically.  I added cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the filling (it didn't call for any of these), and I added a tad of nutmeg to the cakes.  I have also replaced the 2 eggs with 2 unflavored gelatin packets mixed with 1/4 C warm water (mixed just before adding it to the recipe) when we still had an egg allergy at home.
Tip: Spread the "cakes" into circles, because they don't "flatten" in the oven.
I usually make these once a year.  A pumpkin roll can serve the same purpose, and is much less labor intensive, but these little gems have become one of the first signs of fall in our home.

Made here with gelatin and warm water as an egg replacement.

Pumpkin Maple and Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies
Inspired by a recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Cakes

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 c. oil
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
3 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 8-oz. package cream cheese (you could use light)
3 c. powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup or 1/2-1 tsp. maple extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Allspice

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, white sugar, and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop or a 1/2 tablespoon measure, drop the batter onto a baking sheet (lined, if possible, but not necessary), leaving about 1" between the batter. Try to keep the batter as circular as possible. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until the tops are done and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

To prepare the filling, beat the butter on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, maple, and vanilla and beat until combined. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and cut 1/2"-1" off the corner.

Flip the cakes over on a flat surface. Squeeze about 2-3 tablespoons of filling per large whoopie pie (less if you used a 1/2 tablespoon measure) onto every other cake. Top each pie with the remaining cakes. Serve immediately if possible; otherwise, these can be refrigerated in an airtight container. Makes about 30 large whoopie pies.