Halloween Recipes – Creamy Pumpkin Dip with Cookies

This is a very simple and easy to do recipe that’s great to do with the kids, and for kids parties (as well as adults Halloween parties).  We made this recipe a couple of years ago for the school party, but instead of serving it in the pumpkin, we made “cookies sandwiches”, spreading the dip on one cookie, and sandwiching it with another.

Creamy Pumpkin Dip with Cookies

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 3/4 cups pumpkin (or a 30ounce can)
4 cups powdered sugar (10x, or icing sugar)
2-4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (to taste)
1 small sugar pumpkin
Small fun candies – candy worms, candy spiders, candy corn, etc.
Shortbread, Oatmeal, GingerSnaps or any other hard cookie.

If you have a hand mixer, this will go a bit easier.

Mix together the cream cheese and pumpkin, until combined.  Add in the sugar and spices and mix well.  Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Meanwhile, carve out a pumpkin, removing seeds and strings.  Fill with the pumpkin mixture.  Put this on a plate or a halloween serving plate, and decorate with the small candies.  Looks fun  having the worms “crawling” out of the dip.

Serve with the cookies to dip with.

Note:

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use cinnamon, ginger, allspice – 2-4 teaspoons in total.

Variation

Pumpkin Cookie Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 ounces marshmallow creme
15 ounces solid-pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon and orange peel. Serve as a dip with gingersnaps.  Keep refrigerated.

Tortilla Cinnamon Crisps

Yesterday I wrote about making deep fried tacos.  When ever I do this, I always make Tortilla Cinnamon Crisps.

I hardly ever deep fry anything, so when I make the tacos, I always make Tortilla Cinnamon Crisps with the leftover tortillas.

These were always available at the Mexican restaurants I grew up with — as a dessert or as a snack.  Even Taco Bell has something similar, though I don’t think they use tortillas, but some sort of light, fried dough, iirc.

These are great on their own, but so good with vanilla ice cream, or served with baked apples.

2-3 Tortillas, cut into strips
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/2 cup Sugar
Hot oil for frying

Slice the tortillas in strip.  If they are too long for your pot, cut them in  half.

Heat the oil, and fry the tortilla pieces, until golden brown on  both sides.  Flip once during frying.  Remove from the hot oil, drain for a second or two, and then immediately put into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Cover and remove to plate. 

Serve hot, warm, or room temp. 

Notes:

• These are fine left over for another day – just allow to cool, and then place in a tightly sealed bag or container.
• Serve on their own, with Vanilla Ice cream, baked apples, hot chocolate..the options are endless.
• If you slice the tortillas in a pretty design — an ‘s’ shape, for example, they look lovely served next to a nicely plated dessert.  I served these once with a baked apple, directly in the middle of a wide, shallow dish, with a scoop of ice cream, and the crisps pushed into the ice cream, with a drizzle of hot caramel.  Absolutely yummy.