It seems like as soon as fall hits, pumpkin starts popping up in everything, from pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins, to pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin scones. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE all things pumpkin. But did you know that what gives all these delicious pumpkin items their amazing flavor really comes more from a specific set of spices, commonly referred to as pumpkin spice, rather than the pumpkin puree itself?
What is pumpkin spice mix made of?
Pumpkin spice refers to a blend of ground spices with warm, autumn flavors commonly found in items flavored with pumpkin puree and often, apples. While some recipes might call for these ingredients individually, some call specifically for a teaspoon of pumpkin spice, for example, to get all the flavors incorporated together. While you can buy pumpkin spice blends in the supermarket, it’s so incredibly easy to make your own:
Pumpkin spice blends usually consist of:
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Ginger
Pumpkin spice uses
What CAN’T you add pumpkin spice to? Having your own pumpkin spice mix in your kitchen cabinet allows you to give all your baked goods some fall flair any time you want. Simply add a dash to any recipe, like brown butter chocolate chip cookies, apple crumble, or caramelized apple blondies.
This pumpkin pie mix recipe yields about 4 tablespoons of pumpkin spice, but you can double or triple the recipe if you want to make more to keep on hand.
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
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Combine all ingredients in a bowl and combine.
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Store in an airtight container.
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