Chocolate Pumpkin Candy Dish Recipes

CALABAZA EN TACHA (MEXICAN CANDIED PUMPKIN) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut the stem off of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy parts, saving seeds to make pepitas, if you like.
• Leaving the rind on, cut each piece in half lengthwise again and again until you have 8 to 10 long strips of pumpkin. Leave pumpkin in strips or cut it into smaller pieces.
• Zest and juice the orange .
• In a large saucepan, bring orange zest and juice, piloncillo or brown sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks to a boil.
• Carefully add in the pumpkin pieces and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour or two, until pumpkin is fork tender and the rest of the ingredients have reduced to a thick glaze.
• Remove from heat and let cool. Allow a long strip or two-or several smaller pieces-per portion.
• Serve at room temperature, spooning a little of the glaze over the pumpkin pieces. Eat with a spoon, leaving the inedible outer pumpkin rind (and any cinnamon sticks) in the dish.

DARK CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. Beat in pumpkin, pie spice and vanilla. Stir in cracker crumbs. Freeze, covered, 20 minutes or until firm enough to shape., Shape pumpkin mixture into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Freeze 20 minutes or until firm., In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip truffles in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Return to baking sheets; refrigerate until set. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix briefly until combined. Add pumpkin, milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract; mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add water and mix until just blended.
• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost all the way to the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in trays for about 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN BUNDT® CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Mix chocolate cake mix, eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl; pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9 x 13 (or 11 x 7) dish with wax paper or parchment paper. In a double boiler (or my ghetto way of filling a pot with water then putting a metal bowl over the top of it) place the milk chocolate chips inside, until nearly fully melted (should be about 5 minutes or less) and pour into the pan evenly.
• Clean out the metal bowl/top part of the double boiler and melt the white chocolate chips, blending with the pumpkin and spice.
• Pour into the pan and stir up here and there with a fork to create a marbled look and mix it up a little.
• I prefer to leave the bark smooth but if you want to add the crunchy fixins like the pumpkin seeds, nuts, oats, etc. sprinkle them on now and press some of them into the bark with a fork if you like.
• Place the pan in the fridge and chill until completely firm, I play it safe and leave it in a couple hours.
• Extract the bark from the pan once it's fully set, and break up into random pieces (always fun) or for a more professional appearance, cut with a large sharp knife, keep covered and chilled until ready to serve but trust me, this will barely last leaving your house en route to the fall parties!