Pumpkin!

Thanks to those of you who didn't run away screaming because they're totally over-saturated with autumn/pumpkin-themed things!

At the beginning of October, when all things pumpkin were new and exciting, I really wanted to make pumpkin and hazelnut mini doughnuts - so we went off in search of pumpkin purée. Turns out that our local Sainsbury's doesn't stock it, so rather than give up we bought an edible pumpkin to purée ourselves.

Guys - these edible pumpkins may look reasonably small, especially compared with their carving siblings, but let me tell you: you get so. much. purée. I ended up turning to my trusty friend Google to help figure out some more exciting and tasty new ways to use up my glut of pumpkin, and it did not disappoint.

So, for anyone still excited about all the things you can do with pumpkin (how are there so many options?!), grab yourself a handy partner to do all the awkward carving and get making and baking these tasty treats:

Pumpkin spiced muffins - These muffins are reasonably simple to make and very tasty.
Tips: Definitely follow the instruction to spray your muffin cases with cooking spray!
Coconut oil can be hard to find/expensive, but you can substitute it with melted butter. There are also substitutes for can use for buttermilk.

Pumpkin and hazelnut doughnuts - So delicious that they're impossible not to eat all at once!
Tips: To cook these I used a mini doughnut mould and a piping bag to get the mixture into the mould, which worked pretty well, although it was a bit fiddly.

Pumpkin spice syrup - This didn't go particularly well for me, but I'm eager to try again - if you learn from my mistakes it should go better!
Tips: Definitely strain the syrup with more than just a sieve, as the recipe states - I didn't because there was nothing to hand and I was impatient! I've bought some of these Lakeland muslin squares to try out next time.
Make sure your cloves are well ground! I didn't and you could certainly tell...

Pumpkin cream cheese filled brownies - These were probably my favourite pumpkin product I made - I do love a good brownie and the pumpkin cream cheese ramped them up another level of deliciousness.
Tips: Make sure you have enough brownie mixture for the top layer or your edge squares will be disproportionately pumpkin-y!

Are there any other pumpkin recipes I should try?