Happy October, Reader!

Fall is officially here, and so are pumpkin bakes! ...along with the inevitable ¾ cup of leftover pumpkin that you put in your fridge with the best of intentions 😅

You can shuffle the can around in your fridge for the next three weeks, orrrr you can give it a second chance and make a pumpkin dessert this week to use it up!

I've put a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes below. Each one uses one cup or less of pumpkin, so they're perfect for helping you use up that last little bit :)

Use Up That Pumpkin!

This recipe for pumpkin spice granola will give you breakfasts and snacks for days! It's made with real pumpkin but still turns out super crispy. Granola time

​Mini pumpkin pies make serving pumpkin pie at gatherings SO EASY! They're a huge crowd-pleaser, especially with the crispy cinnamon sugar-coated pie crust pieces in fall shapes. Pie time

​Mini pumpkin cheesecakes can be made with a graham cracker or Biscoff cookie crust, then topped with vanilla whipped cream and salted caramel for an individually-sized treat! Cheesecake time

​ Bits of crunchy pie crust pieces are mixed into this pumpkin frozen custard for pumpkin pie in ice cream form! It's perfect if it's still warm where you live ;) Pie and ice cream time

You can find all these pumpkin recipes and more (like my pumpkin spice macarons and chocolate pumpkin muffins) on my website using the recipe filter.

Behind the Scenes

• I sewed my first baby blanket! As a beginner, muslin was quite the fabric to work with 😅 but after a few attempts, I got the corners nicely mitered. I embroidered my new niece's name on it with some flowers for the finishing touch (not pictured, since she hasn't made her debut yet)
• I upgraded my stand mixer to the Artisan Plus in cardamom, which has a bowl light and a 1/2 speed setting to allow you to gently fold batter together. I'm really loving it so far! I filmed an unboxing for it, but I may not be able to post it for a while... I have too many fall and winter recipes I want to share first.
• My key lime tree has been SO fruitful this year. I picked about 70 limes a week ago and another 70 this weekend for a total of 140! Looks like there is a lot of key lime pie in my future ;)
• Austin and I have started doing "burrito day," where we set aside an afternoon to make a ton of burritos at once, individually wrap them in foil, and freeze them! We made about 50 this time with shredded chicken, Spanish rice, mashed pinto beans, cheese, and green chilies. It takes a few hours to do it all, but it works out to less than a dollar per burrito and makes lunches on busy days easy 🌯

May all your recipes call for the exact amount of pumpkin you need to use up 🎃

Happy baking!
Alyssa

P.S. If you make any of these recipes, it would mean the world if you leave a review of how the recipe turned out! It goes a long way to let others know it's a tried and trusted recipe 💛