Homemade PSL!

Continuing my pumpkin theme (because there's only so many months you can bake and post pumpkin), I attempted another easy recipe that fit perfectly with this year's transition into fall--and wasn't even any baking involved.

For those coffee addicts among us (I am one of them), the season of PSL (pumpkin spice latte) is a reason in itself to rejoice. However, not everyone spends this time of year celebrating. Recent reports of unhealthy ingredients in the Starbucks PSL and a comparison by John Oliver equating the taste to a candle can make even the most die-hard PSL fans a little disheartened. I won't go into a rant defending the taste of pumpkin (my bias is clear) or breakdown the unhealthy ingredients and excessive sweetening pumped into most Starbucks beverages (like the 79 grams of sugar for a non-seasonal Venti Mocha Frappuccino...). Instead I'll just point out that if you're a coffee addict and a pumpkin addict you probably enjoy the PSL. If you're also a bit health conscious/lactose intolerant like me, you might try ordering the PSL in a size small (tall) with soymilk, no whip, and maybe one pump of syrup. Or, to save money, confusion, and a potential waxy aftertaste, you might try making your own.

Recipes for PSL knockoffs can be found all over the Internet, but my mom recently presented me with one from Averie Cooks, who offers a vegan, gluten-free option that is also as easy as pumpkin pie. I tested it with my mom after inviting her over for afternoon tea and have since had three more cups and then made a second batch to last me through the weekend. It does, admittedly, taste a bit different from the Starbucks version, but it also tastes more natural, more fall-like, with the flexibility to doctor it up as sweet or less sweet as you like and the added health benefits of actual superfood: pumpkin.

Ingredients:

1 cup of your favorite brewed coffee
1/4 cup (heaping) canned pumpkin (I used Libby's, as usual)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Averie's recipe recommended this kind of milk, and it also happens to be what I use every day for cereal!)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons brown sugar or sweetener of choice
a pinch of your favorite fall spices to taste (I did a sprinkling of cloves and a sprinkling of nutmeg)

Directions:

1.) In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the canned pumpkin and almond milk, whisking or stirring well to blend (I just used a fork). Add in the spices, vanilla, and sugar, continuing to stir.

2.) Heat the concoction in the microwave for about 1 minute or until warm (you can also heat the ingredients together in a small pot of the stove). Brew your coffee as normal and pour into a mug about one half to two thirds full.

3.) Add 1-2 ladles of the pumpkin milk to your cup of coffee and stir well (the pumpkin may separate out by the time you finish drinking and get a little thick, but it still tastes delicious).

You can top with whipped cream and sprinkles of spices if you desire, and experiment with the amount of sweetener to get it just right for your taste.

So easy! And such a nice treat to really make you feel like fall is finally here. It certainly jump started my season as I continued on that week to make pumpkin pancakes (to go with my second batch of pumpkin spice lattes), and enjoy pumpkin pie flavored Italian ice (which my boyfriend surprised me with this weekend before taking me to the local Pumpkin Patch). Trust me, I'm getting in all the pumpkin, and all the autumn, while I can.

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies!

It's time.

You know me.  You know I love fall.  You know I love pumpkin.  So I won't go into as much detail as I usually do on this blog when October rolls around (Just click on the "pumpkin" tag from the blog home page if you want to see a collection of all my pumpkin posts, or check out the photos I've collected of pumpkin treats found this year so far...).

Instead I'll keep things short and sweet. Very short, in fact.

My first pumpkin treat I baked this season wasn't actually meant to even taste like pumpkin. My mom was in the process of trying different recipes for our weekly family dinners and she came across the concept of very short (2 or 3 ingredient) recipes, such as making berry cobbler out of a box of cake mix, a bag of frozen berries, and a 2-liter bottle of Sprite (It's actually quite good!).  One such recipe she found was for 2-ingredient brownies, using just a box of brownie mix and a can of pumpkin.

Mom's brownie.

I was skeptical at first. Would these brownies have any taste without eggs or (gasp!) butter? Even a health conscious baker as myself knows that you need at least a little butter, oil, shortening, or other fat substitute in a batch of baked goods, right?  But then I tried one of her brownies for dessert. And it was divine. I couldn't believe I was eating a delicious treat that was half vegetable.

So the next time I went grocery shopping I decided to buy a box of Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate brownie mix (I always keep a can of pumpkin on hand at home.  Because, you know, pumpkin). My mom and I are fans of dark chocolate (what with us both being lactose intolerant), and it sounded like a slightly healthier (antioxidants) and decadent choice.

Next, I tracked down the recipe that my mom used. It comes from a fun baking blog called Cookies and Cups (http://cookiesandcups.com/) and was clearly labeled as 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies. I took a screenshot of the post with my phone, threw the two ingredients together, and made brownies, hoping the experiment would work and turn out as tasty as my mom's had been.

The original (OG) recipe.

Ingredients:

1 box Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate brownie mix
1 can (15 oz) Libby's pumpkin

Directions:

1). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray (I had no such pan--I really need to buy one--so I used a 9-inch circular cake pan instead. Still worked).

2). In a large bowl, combine the brownie mix with the pumpkin, stirring until no more mix flour is visible. Pour into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (mine needed 30 to really set) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out almost clean.

3). Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy.

It doesn't get much more short and sweet than that.

I was a little hesitant about the results. The brownies had a tinge of bitterness from the dark chocolate and I felt I could taste the pumpkin just a little bit.. I still liked them, but would the lack of eggs and butter be noticeable? Was the gourd of a pumpkin too strong?  Would others who tasted my treat be turned off?

I cut a wedge for my boyfriend since he saw me baking brownies and couldn't wait for a piece. I knew he would tell me if he didn't like it.  He loves anything sweet, but is more than willing to let you know when something tastes a little off.

"Dee-licious!" was his response after the first bite. His plate was quickly cleaned.

So, there's probably no need to mention that I didn't follow the directions on the box, right?  That I secretly fed him a vegetable in his dessert?  If we're both pleased with the result, I see no reason to stir the pot.  Unless that pot has caramel for Halloween apples--but that's another recipe for another time. For now, I'd just like to say, thank you pumpkin. When it's your time to shine, you never disappoint.