pumpkin Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie

August 12, 2019 by Danielle 47 Comments

Remember how Flash loves Pumpkin? Well, technically speaking I do, too, but I always blame my pumpkin stuff on him 🙂 Anywho – we wanted something new for breakfast the other day, and although I normally would have LOVED to whip up some muffins, the kids wanted a ‘smoothie’. Flash was in a pumpkin mood, so we tried something totally different than what we normally do – Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie – and it turned out FABULOUS! Originally shared October 2nd, 2013

This is seriously so yummy, pretty darn healthy, and definitely hits a spot for those pumpkin lovers!

Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients

1 cup canned Pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree, if you’d rather)
1 Banana
1/2 cup Applesauce
1/2 cup Milk
2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
5 Tbsp. Honey
2 cups Ice (more if you want a thicker smoothie)
Cinnamon for sprinkling, if desired
Whipped topping, if desired

Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie Directions

Blend all of the ingredients (except Cinnamon and Whipped Topping) in a blender until smooth.

Divide into glasses – about 2 large glasses, or more smaller ones (for the kids)

Put some Whipped Topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, if desired. Enjoy!!!

If you follow me on Instagram, I posted a photo of Flash enjoying this smoothie two weeks ago 😀

Check out these other Pumpkin-inspired favorites!

Pumpkin Better Than Disneyland Pie

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake

Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

January 21, 2019 by Danielle 2 Comments

By now y’all should know my families love of pumpkin recipes. If not, well, just know that we LOVE them! There’s so many ways you can incorporate pumpkin into your cooking and baking to come up with delicious foods! This past weekend we whipped up one of our favorite muffin recipes, these amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins – a great breakfast or snack for the whole family to enjoy.

For those that have been following here for awhile, you may remember our original Pumpkin Muffin recipe, or maybe our Pumpkin Breakfast Scones. Both are still super yummy and a great breakfast or snack option! This new recipe is a bit different, resulting in a bit more ‘creamy’ to the muffins.

My kiddos gobbled these up so fast, I was tempted to make another batch that same day! They’re PERFECT for a good, filling breakfast or for an afternoon snack. Plus, of course, easy to make in a hurry.

Note: Makes roughly 32 muffins filled 3/4 way full

Ingredients

4 cups Flour
2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 stick Butter, melted
2 1/2 cups Pumpkin (canned)
1-2 cups Sour Cream
2 tbsp. Vanilla
2 tbsp. Pumpkin Spice (more if desired)
1-2 cups Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line your muffin trays, set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, butter, pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Add in the baking powder and salt, then slowly add the flour until well-combined. Stir in the pumpkin spice and chocolate chips to taste.
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Allow to cool a bit before serving.

You’ll love the pumpkin flavor and moistness in every bite, plus the chocolate is a good way to start any day, if you ask me!

Pumpkin Better Than Disneyland Pie

December 14, 2018 by Danielle 65 Comments

This week is Thanksgiving, and I haven’t even thought twice about what recipes I’m going to be changing or adding to the menu! Guess I better get on the ball, huh? Whatever other things I make besides turkey and gravy, though, I’m sure this Pumpkin Pudding Pie (aka: pumpkin better than Disneyland pie) will be on the list. It’s super delicious, creamy and full of smooth pumpkin flavor. A definite winner for Thanksgiving dessert! (originally shared May 2013)

Pumpkin Pudding Pie / AKA: Pumpkin Better Than Disneyland Pie / The Perfect Thanksgiving or Holiday Dessert!

To be honest, I’d almost rather this than normal pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving! If you’re wondering about the name….we try to use extremely kid-friendly words and names, and avoid any words that we don’t want to have to explain to our little ones just yet. So in our home, instead of what most people use when ‘better than….’ we use Disneyland. That’s one of our absolute favorite things, so if something’s better than Disneyland, you know it has to be fantastic! (at the moment, I’m wishing I were at Disneyland, though!)

Ingredients

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped
8 oz. Cream cheese
1 cup Powdered sugar
3 cups Whipped topping, divided
2 1/2 cups Milk
2 pkgs. Vanilla instant pudding mix, 5 1/4 oz. size (Thank you Ann for pointing this out!)
2 cups Pumpkin, canned
2 tsp. Pumpkin spice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, butter and 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans together. Press into a sprayed 8×8 cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar, then add 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust.
Mix milk, pudding mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and 1 cup whipped topping until smooth. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining 1 cup of whipped topping and 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans.
Chill for 3 hours or until set.

Notes: Instead of just spraying the pan, I lined it with aluminum foil so I could remove it and keep the edges nice. We tried this both refrigerated and frozen, but all of us preferred the creamy refrigerated version.

What Thanksgiving dessert will YOU be making?

Pumpkin Bars

December 22, 2016 by Nikki Cole

November is the month for everything pumpkin and I tried some fun recipes one of which is Pumpkin Bars that turned out to be a super moist, melt in your mouth dessert that everyone in my family asked for seconds and thirds on. Pumpkin Bars are a sweet blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, and a cake like texture, topped with rich cream cheese frosting and is simple to add impressive but quick decorations to.

I know I said that my Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread was amazing but these Pumpkin Bars are a whole new kind of amazing. The bread was great and worked perfectly for a quick breakfast and such but the Pumpkin Bars are an amazing dessert to impress even the pickiest eaters.

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
15 – oz. can of pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Cream cheese frosting

8 – oz. cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a mixer.
Add in remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 18” x 12” jelly roll pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and the bars start to pull away from the edges of the pan.
When the Pumpkin Bars are cooled make the cream cheese frosting.
Mix all cream cheese frosting ingredients except the powdered sugar well.
Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix until fluffy.
Spread onto cooled pumpkin bars.
To make a cool design dump some cinnamon onto a plate.
Get any cookie cutter, preferably small, and dip into the cinnamon.
Gently press cookie cutter into the pumpkin bars to make a design.

These Pumpkin Bars were amazing but did take a little work but don’t let that scare you away trust me, I’m working on a post with pies and wow, those are hard. This recipe is a little long but completely worth it and the steps are pretty easy just mainly mixing. I hope this recipe helps out with all your holiday plans and adventures.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread

November 21, 2016 by Nikki Cole

It’s fall and you know what that means? Yes pumpkin everything! I love pumpkin but not till recently had I ever tried making bread and especially never thought to make pumpkin bread with cream cheese. I now have a new favorite pumpkin recipe of Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread that is a complete melt in your mouth fall favorite recipe that makes a perfect dessert or even a nice breakfast.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread is incredible bread that will be perfect for any dinner, dessert, or even a quick grab and go breakfast, and it is pretty simple to make. With the recipe it only makes one loaf but I hate putting a partial can of pumpkin in the fridge, well I bought the big can that was 29 ounces, anyways so I ended up tripling the recipe, made three loafs but kept the bread mix in three separate bowls so it was easy to split into the bread pans. If you are good at measuring things out you can triple it in one bowl, make just a single loaf, whatever fits your needs.

Bread – Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Filling – Ingredients

1 egg
4 ounces softened cream cheese
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bread loaf pan with non-stick spray and then dust it with flour, the flour makes it a lot easier to get the bread out of the pan.
For the bread, mix the first 10 ingredients well in a large bowl.
Add in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, gently stir in just until combined; don’t overmix.
Pour about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan spreading it smooth and pushing it into the corners. Set aside.
For the cream cheese filling put all ingredients into a mixer and cream until nice and fluffy, usually about five minutes.
Evenly pour the cream cheese filling mixture over the bread, be careful not to push the filling into the pumpkin mixture but getting it to all the edges.
Top the cream cheese layer with the remaining pumpkin batter, smoothing the top without pushing it into the cream cheese layer and again still covering the cream cheese getting the pumpkin mix to all edges.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until the bread slightly starts to pull away from the edges.
Allow the bread to slightly cool in the pan, then gently run a spatula along the edges and turn over onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake

August 2, 2016 by Danielle

Oh my gosh, if you’re in a sweet mood, you’ve GOT to try this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake! It’s so creamy and full of flavor – you can even leave off the nuts if you’re not a fan of them! (originally shared July 2013 – refreshing this tasty treat!)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake / Busy Mom's Helper

Yes, I know it isn’t EXACTLY pumpkin season – well, about as far away from it as can be. But in my opinion, you should be able to enjoy delicious pumpkin recipes all year-round!

Ingredients

2 pkg. Spice Cake Mix
2 cans Pumpkin
1 cup Milk
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
8 Eggs
3 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 pkg. Cream Cheese, softened (16 oz)
2 cups Powdered Sugar
8 oz. Whipped Topping
1 cup Caramel Topping
1/2 cup Pecan or Walnut pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray two 9×9 inch round cake pans, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat both Cake Mixes, 1 can Pumpkin, Milk, Veggie Oil, Eggs and 2 tsp. Pie Spice until well-mixed.
Pour into the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat the Cream Cheese, Sugar, and remaining Pumpkin and Pie Spice. Stir in the Whipped Topping.
Remove the cakes from the pans. Frost the first layer with 1/3 of the cream cheese filling. Place second cake on top, then frost entire top and edges with remaining filling.
Drizzle with Caramel Topping and garnish with Pecan or Walnut Pieces.

Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 27, 2015 by Danielle

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills. The opinions and text are all mine. #SnackandSmile

Although my family absolutely LOVES pumpkin things year-round, fall is when certain special things come out that bring recipes to a whole new level – like the secret ingredient in these amazing Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies! They’re super fluffy and light, no butter so they’re on the healthier side, and just the right amount of yummy pumpkin flavor to make these the perfect fall treat!

So what is this tasty secret ingredient? Yoplait light Pumpkin Pie yogurt, of course! They have some great seasonal flavors out right now – I’m making a variety of cookies with the different kinds – but this is our favorite so far. The recipe calls for just 2 of them….but I always grab more while I’m at Walmart because I love snacking on them by themselves, too!

One of my favorite things about these cookies is how soft they are – the yogurt really gives them just the right texture! Plus the pumpkin pie flavoring in the yogurt makes these cookies the delish snack that they are – hubby can’t wait until I whip up another batch (or two)!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 containers Yoplait light Pumpkin Pie
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1-2 tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line two cookie sheets, set aside.
Combine all of the ingredients until smooth. Scoop the cookie dough, about 2-3 tbsp. in size each, onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes.

Totally easy, right? I love simple recipes, and these cookies are about as simple as you can get! Feel free to add more or less pumpkin pie spice as you prefer. I like the smooth and mild flavor the yogurt gives, so stick to about 1 tbsp. of it.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills. The opinions and text are all mine.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

September 17, 2015 by Angela Paris

Celebrate Fall with all the pumpkin goodness the season has to offer with this homemade Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. It’s loaded with lots of healthy ingredients, but so delicious the whole family will love it!

Since my birthday is in October, Fall has always been my most favorite season. I love the sunny days with the cool breezes and the beautiful colors of the trees in New England. Here in NH we’ve had unseasonably warm weather these last few weeks, and while I’m sad to see summer go, I’m sort of craving one of those crisp Fall days at the same time.

Now, there’s nothing more quintessentially Fall than Pumpkin Pie, am I right? I’m so excited to share this delicious recipe with you today. This smoothie has the most amazing blend of flavors. And it’s got pumpkin puree, bananas and yogurt in it, so it is a bit healthier than the Pumpkin Spice Latte all the coffee shops are serving these days.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Ingredients:
frozen banana
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (Greek or regular)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup skim or almond milk
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon honey
2/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Process the mixture until smooth. For an icy smoothie, add 1 cup of ice to the blender. Top with whipped cream if desired.

This is a great treat for the kiddos, too. This serving size is more appropriate for adults and teens, but I find that splitting between my two children is the perfect amount. Mine love the whipped cream topping especially!

Love Smoothies?

If you’d like to find more great smoothie recipes, check out my Smoothie Pinterest Board:
Follow Juggling Act Mama – Ang Paris’s board Smoothies on Pinterest.

Tin Pumpcans

September 15, 2015 by Lynn Driver

Yes, I know I spelled it wrong. I couldn’t resist. And even though it’s not official on the calendar yet, I have to say it: Happy Fall Y’all! I’m kicking off the season with these DIY TIN PUMPCANS.

I’m Lynn, and I’m excited to be visiting from Riggstown Road with a fun little fall project. I’m a busy mom, and a thrifty one, too, so I love how this décor only took about five minutes and was virtually free! If you have any canned food in your pantry, you have just about all you need to make some cute Tin Pumpcans.

I got to thinking the other day, how a tin can would make a cute, rustic pumpkin. I thought I’d paint it orange, since I love orange pumpkins and fall colors in all their glory {#fallismyfavorite} but then I realized that (1) a creamy neutral color would add a touch of sophistication, (2) it would look good with my neutral color scheme, and (3) I already had a can of ivory spray paint.

I went outside and found some nice, round sticks to use for the stalks. I broke them to get the length I wanted. I already had a bag of moss in my craft stash.

I wanted a large pumpkin, so I bought the biggest can of vegetables I could find… 6 lb. 10 oz. (If you’re not ready to use this much corn or beans at once, transfer them to a freezer bag, and save for later.) I also used a smaller can I had on hand for a small pumpkin.

Total cost: $0 !!! OK, I did buy the big can of corn. But. I figure that I bought the corn, which we will eat, and I got the can it was in for free. 😉SUPPLIES

Tin cans with lids
Spray paint
Moss
Small sticks
Hot glue gun (and glue sticks)

DIRECTIONS

Open cans using a can opener that will leave SMOOTH edges. (I use a hand-held Pampered Chef can opener.) Set contents aside.
Remove label; wash and dry can and lid.
Paint the can and lid and allow to dry.
Use hot glue to add moss to lid, leaving an empty spot for stalk.
Add glue to center of lid, and press stick firmly into glue, continuing to press for a minute or so.
Place lids back on cans, and you’ve got pumpkins!

Arrange on a tray with the rest of the moss, and you’ve got an instant fall centerpiece!

What better way to use the cans from all that veggie soup you’re going to making on these chilly fall days?

And shhh, don’t tell the kids, but the inside makes a perfect place to store fall treats. 😉

Pumpkin Almond Cookies

February 26, 2015 by Danielle

You know those times when you have a snack item that’s completely delicious, then you have an amazing idea to include it in a recipe? I love it when that happens, especially when it ends up being something as tasty as these Pumpkin Almond Cookies!

It was actually pretty funny, because Hubby and I were sitting there at our computers (shared desk) when the idea came. He was snacking on some pumpkin flavored almonds, saying how great they were, when we suddenly look at each other and in unison ‘they’d be great in those almond cookies!’ Thus, these yummy treats were born!

Ingredients

1 cup Butter, softened
2/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Almond Extract
1 cup Pumpkin Almonds, ground
2 cups All-purpose Flour
Pumpkin Marshmallows, if desired

Note: For the almonds, just toss them in a good blender and grind them up. Super easy!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line two baking sheets, then set aside.
In a mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to the paddle attachment and add in the ground almonds and flour until everything’s well-combined.
Roll into 1″ balls and put on the prepared baking sheets, pressing down slightly on each ball. Bake for 10 minutes, then add a pumpkin marshmallow on the top center of each cookie and press it in just barely. Continue cooking about 5 more minutes. If you want, you can also dust the finished cookies with powdered sugar!

I prefer them WITH the marshmallows, because it adds that perfect gooey-ness to them that complete the whole cookie! Hubby’s been enjoying them either way, just glad we made a double batch so he has more!

Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

February 6, 2015 by Danielle

Can I get all my pumpkin-lovers to raise their hands? It’s a HUGE thing at our house, almost as big as chocolate! I love how flexible it is with all our baking, being able to do all sorts of yummy recipes with it. Hubby recently created one of his new favorite drinks using it: this Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte!

This drink has been great, especially with how cold it’s been here in Texas! I know our temperature is nothing compared to many, but for us it’s really dang cold. Having a nice cup of hot cocoa or this amazing Pumpkin latte is just the ticket…that, and a fuzzy, snuggly blanket to curl up in!

If you’re wondering about the ‘chai’ in the ingredients…you can buy a little container in the tea aisle of liquid chai drink! We found it at Costco and Walmart, so I’m sure it’s most other places, also. For the canned pumpkin, be sure to use plain pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie….if you do choose to use that, just remember it will be sweeter so you may need to adjust your other ingredients accordingly!

Ingredients

1 cup Chai drink (liquid)
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup canned Pumpkin
1/4 tsp. Truvia (or 1 tsp. Sugar)
1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
Dash of Nutmet

Directions

BLEND together….seriously, that’s it! Heat and enjoy 😀

I think it’s totally fine NOT warmed up, too….but it’s cold outside, so get some heat into your body, pull some fuzzy slippers on your feet and cozy up in a soft blanket. Insert a special someone to snuggle with and you’ve got a WINNER of an afternoon!

Pumpkin Spice Crepes

November 7, 2014 by Danielle

As you know by now, my family loves pumpkin recipes, especially when they’re so easy to make! These Pumpkin Spice Crepes are not only simple, but totally delicious!

The crepes themselves are fabulous, and can be mixed with a variety of toppings or fillings…but my favorite is the creamy pumpkin cream inside! Not only do these make a great breakfast, but add some chocolate syrup and they’re also an amazing dessert! Gotta love flexibility, right?

Ingredients – Crepes

1 cup All-purpose Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp. Cinnamon

Directions – Crepes

Combine all ingredients together until smooth. Spray a medium skillet then heat over medium. Scoop 1/3 cup batter for each crepe, heating until the edges start to come up. Flip and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds, then remove to a plate. I recommend spraying the skillet in between each crepe to avoid it sticking.

Ingredients – Pumpkin Cream Filling

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 tbsp. Butter, softened
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 cups Powdered Sugar

Direction – Pumpkin Cream Filling

Whip all ingredients until smooth. If you want it thicker, add more powdered sugar. Feel free to adjust the spices to fit your taste preferences!

Enjoy your Pumpkin Spice Crepe: place some filling on half the crepe, then flip the other side over. If desired, add whipped topping or some chocolate syrup!