Pumpkin Frappuchino

Sorry, no pic for this one!  (at least not yet)

This is a really simple recipe for a delicious smoothie.  The only thing- you need to make the frozen pumpkin cubes ahead of time, so make sure to plan for that!

Ingredients
1 c cold brew coffee (We used instant coffee)
1 c milk (we used almond milk)
1/4 c pumpkin butter
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. To prepare cold brew coffee, place 2 cup ground coffee – the bolder the better – into a bowl, top it with 4 cups of water and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Strain in the morning and reserve the leftover in the fridge. (since we used instant coffee, I dissolved it in a small bit of hot water, then added enough cold water to make 1 cup of coffee)
2.  Prepare milk ice cubes in advance by pouring your milk of choice into a bowl and mixing in pumpkin butter, agave nectar and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to ensure even distribution.
3. Pour mixture into an ice cube tray, covering lightly with saran wrap, and freezing overnight. (we froze ours for a few hours, and that was good enough!)
4. Place 1 cup coffee and 8-10 pumpkin ice cubes in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add extra agave if you prefer a sweeter beverage (This was not needed). Additionally, add more pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin butter if you prefer a spicier flavor.

Recipe from Minimalist Baker

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

Ok...it might not be the most appetizing photo, but it tastes great!

Dave and I were in the mood for something pumpkiny, so we went for these whoopie pies. By the way...if any of you actually read this...yesterday we went to the Boston Local Food Festival. It was fun!

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground ginger (we had none, so we added more cinnamon, and a dash of allspice)
1 tbs ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 recipe of cream cheese frosting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until well combined (we used our stand mixer on a low setting)
4. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully combined. (again..mixer)
5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. This is your opportunity to make them pretty, if that's important to you. (I kinda just globbed them on, and they ended up a bit deformed...)
6. Bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick comes out clean- about 15 min. Let cool completely on pan.
7. While cooling, prepare frosting.
8. Assemble whoopie pies. Transfer filling to a ziplock bag and snip the end. Place a large dollop on the flat side of one cookie, and add another on top.
9. Repeat with remaining cookies. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

They can be stored in fridge for up to 3 days.

(recipe from Martha Stewart)