Pumpkin spice everything!
This year Starbucks started the holiday creep by launching their Pumpkin Spice Lattes early, mid-September, when much of the country happened to be gripped by a heat wave. THANKS STARBUCKS. I love your PSLs (as those-in-the-know call them) but that's the same nonsense that gets us Valentine's Day stuff for sale in November, and Easter stuff for sale in December. (I have witnessed both of these things with my own eyes.)
Now that it's October 1, I think the rest of normal society is ready to celebrate Pumpkin Spice Season right. Obviously the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has become the standard bearer for this celebration, and rightfully so. Starbucks uses a flavored syrup, unlike many other espresso stores which fall back on sprinkling pumpkin spice (the seasoning) atop your latte or - in one very regrettable instance I encountered - mixing a dollop of canned pumpkin pie mix into your drink. (It was just as bad as you would imagine.)
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. It's a valuable addition to your holiday baking arsenal, and is great in all sorts of baked goods: cookies, muffins, cakes, you name it.
This year pumpkin spice can also be found in a proliferation of consumer snack foods including:
- Pumpkin Spice Oreos
- Pumpkin Spice M&Ms
- Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses
- Eggo Seasons Pumpkin Spice Frozen Waffles
- Edy's Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts
All of these sound absolutely delicious. If you prefer to make your own pumpkin spice things, my personal favorite is this award-winning recipe for pumpkin bread. (Note: you can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Saves all that measuring. If you feel very lazy you can leave out the spices altogether and use canned pumpkin pie mix instead.)
This is a great time of year to make it, too, because canned pumpkin often goes on sale. Stock up now and make this bread year-round!