Pumpkin Pie Party Dip

Halloween Party Dip

October! Absolutely love this month! Well pretty much October on thru December. It is my pie, tart, and colorful scarf season and it is never long enough. This season is a busy one for me especially in October. Got 4 family birthdays and all in love with cake but the big one is the Halloween party right around the corner. Been asked to provide the "spooky" and fun sweets to be exact. So, a simple cake with some frosting slapped on isn't going to cut it. So safe to assume this month will be all about fun ideas for Halloween sweets.

First up, Pumpkin Pie Party Dip!

Total Prep: 2 hours

Yield: 4 6-ounce ramekins and 25-30 dippers (Depends on size of cookie cutter)

Flaky Pie Dippers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl mix together the salt and water and keep cold till ready to use.

2. In large bowl with flour scatter cut 1-inch squares of butter. Use a pastry blender to cut/mix the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly mixture with a few large crumbs.

3. Drizzle water and salt mixture and toss with a fork until you see a crumbly dough begin to form. Gently with your hands mix the dough until a ball forms. Avoid over mixing, you want to see butter chunks still.

4. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 30 minutes or until manageable. Check it every few minutes so you don't accidentally freeze it like this girl did.

5. Remove from plastic wrap and roll out dough on floured surface. Cut out your desired shapes. You want the shapes to be similar sizes to avoid uneven baking. Place crust cutouts on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 15-20 minutes.

6. Remove plastic wrap and place in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Pumpkin Party Dip

1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pie spice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In large bowl with a mixer whisk pumpkin puree, whole eggs, egg yolk, and heavy cream just until combined.

2. In medium bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, pie spice, cloves, and nutmeg. Whisk the sugar mixture into the pumpkin mixture. 

3. Pour filling in ramekins and bake for about 45-50 minutes. Bake until pie is set and the center is still a tad wobbly. Remove from oven and you can either serve warm or let cool completely. Place ramekins and dippers on an adorable serving dish and let the dipping and party begin!

Sweet Flukes

I started this recipe as mini tart pies but I realized how unrealistic that would be with the number of people and amount of time I had to do all these sweets. So after baking a few tarts I looked at the left over pumpkin mix and desperately tried to think of another simple recipe. I was definitely not about to commit the crime of tossing out something so delicious. Hence, pumpkin pie dip. I also missed a few ingredients like salt which I actually didn't miss. That first and second bite was still very pleasant to my palette. Salt helps bring out the sweetness and if you feel you need it just add in 1 teaspoon to the sugar mixture in step 2. 

Hope the dip is a hit for your Halloween get-together or for just you. I wouldn't blame you for wanting it all to yourself. If you have any Halloween sweets ideas please do share!