The roasted almonds are sweetened with sugar, brown sugar and honey, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pumpkin powder (dried, ground pumpkin—look for it at natural food stores or online). The 19.75-ounce can is available at retailers nationwide (approximately $9.95 depending on retailer).

It’s easy to make spiced nuts—almonds, pecans, walnuts or other favorite—to enjoy:

• With cocktails
• As snacks
• As garnish for cakes, cupcakes, puddings, ice cream and other treats
• In green salads with goat cheese or blue cheese
• As sides with coffee, tea and hot chocolate
• As gifts, in a small tin, plastic container or cellophane bag tied with ribbon

 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPICED NUTS

We adapted this recipe from one by Spice Islands. The nuts can be made up to three days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If you’re making a lot, it’s best to make them in small batches to ensure that the nuts are thoroughly coated.

Limited Edition Planters Pumpkin Spice Almonds. Nuts are better-for-you for snacking; these Planters nuts have 5 grams of protein in every serving.

• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin powder
• 1/8 teaspoon finely-ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove or nutmeg
• 2 cups almonds

 
Varying The Spices

Instead of a pepper-allspice blend, you can use cayenne and other favorites. There is no right or wrong combination: just what you like. For an herbal edge, we often add rosemary or sage. Consider adding:

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. COMBINE corn syrup, sugar, salt, black pepper, allspice and white pepper in a bowl. Add pecans; stir gently to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

3. BAKE almonds for 5 minutes; stir. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes more, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pecans to a sheet of wax paper. Separate nuts with a fork. Cool.
  

Dana’s Bakery makes delicious macarons; they’ve been a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, and a favorite gift we send to macaron lovers (the Macaron Of The Month Club is a luxurious gift for the connoisseur).

The cookies are both tender and tantalizing, thanks to Dana’s eye for color and palate for flavor. We haven’t found more creative offerings anywhere.

The “Flavor of the Month” for October is Candy Corn, is a vanilla macaron in candy corn colors—orange, white and yellow. And surprise: There’s a piece of candy con embedded in the filling.

Candy Corn macarons are available until October 31st at DanasBakery.com or by calling 1.800.477.1816 ($30 for twelve).

Bonus: All macarons are made with gluten-free almond flour.

THE HISTORY OF MACAROONS & MACARONS
  

Pumpkin cider, with or without rum. Photo ©
Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog.

People speak of comfort foods; this is a comfort drink. Thick, flavorful, fragrant pumpkin cider made with pumpkin purée is a seasonal treat that can be served to kids or turned into a cocktail with spiced rum.
RECIPE: SPICED PUMPKIN CIDER

Ingredients For 2 Drinks

1. COMBINE the pumpkin, cider, spice and cinnamon stick in a medium-large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil; then simmer for 20 minutes. If you’d prefer a thinner drink, add more cider to achieve desired consistency.

2. REMOVE the cinnamon stick; strain the mixture to remove any clumps. Add the rum stir. Garnish with optional whipped cream or nutmeg. Serve warm.

Pumpkin is the not-so-secret ingredient in these veggie burgers, which have real nutritional heft thanks to the addition of chickpeas and pumpkin seed protein powder.

Whether you’re determined to keep the spirit of summer alive or looking to transition into more autumnal foods, these pumpkin burgers span both worlds. You can make a double batch: The finished patties freeze beautifully.

The recipe was developed by Hannah Kaminsky.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN PROTEIN BURGERS

Ingredients For 6-8 Burgers

Make your veggie burger a pumpkin burger. Recipe and photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease and set aside.

2. HEAT the olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. When it is shimmering, add the garlic and onions, sautéing until aromatic and lightly golden brown. This should take no more than 6 to 8 minutes; be careful not to overdo it or you could burn the garlic.

3. DEGLAZE the pan with the balsamic vinegar, turn off the heat and let the mix cool for 10 minutes.

4. ROUGHLY MASH the chickpeas in a separate bowl, with a fork or potato masher. Keep the texture fairly coarse so that the burger maintains a satisfying bite. Add in the pumpkin purée, mustard, spices and herbs, mixing well to incorporate. When cool enough to handle…

5. ADD the sautéed vegetables and pumpkin seed protein powder; stir to combine. Mix thoroughly, making sure that there are no pockets of dry ingredients. The mixture should be soft but manageable—something you can fairly easily mold into patties that will hold their shape. Season with salt and pepper to taste. With slightly moistened hands…

7. SERVE while still hot, or cool completely before freezing and storing (for up to 6 months).

Who but the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (EatWisconsinCheese.com) would come up with this innovative pairing: Gouda cheese with pumpkin seed brittle! Serve it as dessert during “pumpkin season.”

The result, while seemingly simple, is a complex dessert that is creamy, crunchy, spicy, and sweet. (If you don’t like spicy foods, leave out the pepper.)
 
 
RECIPE: SPICY PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Ingredients

A seasonal “cheese course” (photo © Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board).

1. STIR together the baking soda and melted butter; set aside. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside a second sheet the same size. Butter the parchment on one side.

2. COMBINE the sugar, water, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; wash down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Simmer the syrup for 10 to 12 minutes until it reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, add the pumpkin seeds and pepper.

3. RETURN the pan to medium-low heat while stirring; melt again until the mixture turns amber brown and reaches 290°F (if the syrup becomes granular during cooking, continue to cook until it remelts). Remove from heat; stir in butter-baking soda mixture with a wooden spoon.

4. POUR the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet; cover with the second parchment sheet. Press the mixture with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thick. Remove the top layer of parchment; cool completely; crack brittle.

5. STORE the brittle between layers of parchment in a sealed container for up to two weeks. Plate with a wedge of Gouda cheese, or serve alongside a platter of assorted cheeses.
 
 
> GOUDA, HOLLAND’S MOST FAMOUS CHEESE
 
 
> HOW GOUDA IS MADE
 
 
> GOUDA FOOD & BEVERAGE PAIRINGS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE