Fall is in the air...

Colorado must have missed the memo on the fall season as the clear sky and warm heat still hovers around 80 degrees. But, as it is mid September, I'm already planning out the fall decorations that will make their appearance shortly, dreaming of fall outfits and tall boots, and craving the sweet smells of fall desserts, soups and entrees.

This weekend, I couldn't resist the tasty dishes any longer. With some fresh pumpkin frozen in the freezer (seriously...use fresh pumpkin instead of canned. It's WAY better), I decided that chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes were on the menu for this weekend.

I wish I had a before picture of all the ingredients but, alas, I did not think that far ahead. So, you will have to use your imagination on how I get to this:

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 box of white cake mix (try yellow or spice cake as well)
15 ounces of pumpkin (1 can -- if you insist)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cloves
1/2 bag of chocolate chips

Seriously. That is it! The best part is that, since there is no raw egg, you won't feel guilty about feeding the batter to your children or setting some aside for yourself to dip graham crackers into while you wait for the others to bake. You will have to forgive me for not having exact measurements on the spices. You could probably go without the spices and it would still taste delicious, but they add that little extra that definitely makes it worth it. So, do as I do, and add a little bit of this and a little of that until you feel it tastes just right. Cooking instructions follow the cake box directions.

I then topped my cupcakes with delicious cream cheese frosting, because how could you not, and then sprinkled the top with a little cinnamon. Betty Crocker has a pretty good canned cream cheese frosting. However, you could also quickly whip up your own frosting combining the following:

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
2-3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until desired sweetness.

These seriously were just what we needed to kick start the fall season, even if the weather is a little behind. Try these today. You will thank yourself, and me.

For an added bonus, this is how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree:

Need:
Pie Pumpkin (the smaller pumpkins - they are sweeter and will be better for cooking)
Oven
Blender/food processor
Water

Cook the pumpkin in the oven according to the directions on the sticker (usually at around 400 degrees for about an hour.) When it is done cooking, allow it to cool to the point where you can handle it with your bare hands. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Scrape the pumpkin off of the skin and add it to your blender or food processor. Blend. If it is too thick, slowly add water to it as you blend until you can get a smooth consistency. Then measure out the pumpkin puree into freezer appropriate bags or containers, measuring out 15 ounces per container (this will make it easier for any pumpkin recipe you find, as most recipes go off of the canned pumpkin.) You should get at least 30-45 ounces per pie pumpkin.

Happy Fall!!

Enjoy!!