PERFECTLY PUMPKIN SPICE GUMMIES
It’s October. How do I know? The Interweb is chock full of all things pumpkin from you lot up in the northern hemisphere!
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Here’s my pumpkin spice offering for you from back in 2016…
This recipe is both my nod to that (seemingly crazy to those of us down under) phenomenon that happens around this time of year – the North American obsession with pumpkin season – and my efforts to see what all the fuss is about.
Small admission…
I may be becoming slightly obsessed with pureed pumpkin!
You guys up there in the land of crazy politicians – and, your northern neighbours who are so famous for being polite – may have unleashed my inner spiced pumpkin beast!
It’s true.
Until now, I’ve always seen pumpkin as almost a poor cousin to my all-time favourite starchy root vegetable – the kumara (what we Kiwis call the orange sweet potato).
But, no more!
Nup. Now I’m embracing my inner pumpkin.
I roasted a couple of kilos of pumpkin – I used a couple of varieties – for an hour or so in the oven and then pureed the flesh so that I had oodles of the orange goop to play with. While it is possible to get canned pumpkin here in Australia, it isn’t nearly as much of a ‘thing’ as it is in the US and Canada.
And, like most food I make now, an extra-large batch can easily be portioned up and thrown into the freezer for when the need arises…
So far, I’ve tried:
- playing with a Pumpkin Spice Na’tte. I’ll definitely be making that again!
- making a variation on these Pumpkin Spice Cookies. They went down well with my meditation class!
Now I’m seriously considering:
- some form of Pumpkin Spice Panna Cotta. Because who doesn’t love a good panna cotta?
- going the whole hog with a full-on Pumpkin Spice Cake with Gingersnap Crust for my next dinner party!
I may have a teeny pumpkin spice problem.
Do you think there’s a 12-step program for that?
The thing about this pumpkin spice craze that hits up north – well, it’s ‘Fall’, isn’t it? And as you guys up there are heading into the cooler months, spring has well and truly sprung down here.
So, I really wanted to embrace my inner pumpkin with an Antipodean twist. Something that allowed me to play with the flavours of pumpkin and spice and all things nice, while at the same time being suitable for warmer days.
I could have played it safe and just gone with an iced pumpkin spice na’tte. But instead, I’ve come up with these babies. I’m calling them my PERFECTLY Pumpkin Spice Gummies because I really, really like them.
I think they could even serve as a kind of post-dinner petit four option for muggles who don’t even know AIP is a thing, and they’d be none the wiser.
See what you think…
- 4 teaspoons grond cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground mace
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vannilla powder
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup powdered gelatin
- 1½ cups brewed black tea
- ½ cup pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
- 140mls coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
- a pinch of ground turmeric (optional)
- Begin by making your spice mix. Pop all the ingredients into a small jar with an airtight lid. Give it a good shake to ensure the spices are thoroughly mixed. Done!
- Now pour the ½ cup of water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the top and leave to bloom.
- Pop the brewed tea, pureed pumpkin, coconut milk, maple syrup and spice mix (and optional turmeric) into a medium sized pot. Stir until mixed well. Over a medium heat, bring to a simmer (but not a boil).
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until free of any lumps.
- Pour into molds or into a glass/ceramic dish (for cutting into portions when set). Pop into the fridge until set.
- sprinkle over cubed pumpkin for roasting
- make your own version of a pumpkin spice 'frappe'
- add a little to coconut whipped cream
E N J O Y !
This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable
* First published September 2016
