Just shy of four months after moving into our place, Dan and I finally threw a housewarming party this weekend.
Aside from the fact that we had busy summers, a big reason we held off on the party was that we wanted to finish redoing the deck. It still came down to the wire — the final touches were put in place on Saturday morning — but the deck was looking great by our friends arrived at 7 that night!
When people started arriving, Dan took care of burgers on the grill and I got some help with the side dishes and dessert.
I ended up making whipped feta crostini, sweet potato salad and pumpkin cookie dough pops. (Keep reading for the dessert recipe!) We also offered some warm apple cider with optional rum for spiking.
After dinner on the porch, everyone moved to the bonfire for s’mores and warm cider. Personally, I took advantage of the fact that neither Dan nor I had to drive by having one too many cups of cider. (Check out my Facebook page for a fun little picture of what Emily + too much cider looks like.) Let’s just say that’s a mistake I’m not going to make again… I’ve never felt so miserable after a night of drinking.
The cider incident aside, it was great getting to catch up with some friends we haven’t seen in a while — and I think the city folk enjoyed a little country retreat. Plus, I got to make my first pumpkin recipe of the season!
Pumpkin Cookie Dough Pops
Prep Time: 3-5 hours
Keywords: No-Bake dessert vegan vegetarian nut-free chocolate pumpkin Thanksgiving Halloween cookie fall
Adapted from Keep it Sweet
Ingredients (30 pops)
For the Pops
- 1 C white whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 t pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 C buttery spread (i.e. Smart Balance)
- 1 C brown sugar
- 1/2 C canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
- 1/2 t vanilla
- 1/2 C dark chocolate chips, roughly chopped
- 30 dessert pops (available at hobby stores)
For the Chocolate Coating
- 2 C dark chocolate chips
- 1 T coconut oil
Instructions
For the Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the buttery spread and the brown sugar. Add in the pumpkin and vanilla. Beat on medium-speed until everything is combined.
Mix in the flour and fold in the chocolate chips.
Freeze the batter for 1-2 hours.
Roll tablespoon-sized amounts of dough into balls. Insert the pop stick almost all the way through the ball — you really want it to stay in place! Put the pops on a greased baking sheet and place in the freezer for another 1-2 hours.
To Make the Pops
To melt the chocolate, place it in a microwave-safe bowl with the coconut oil. Microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring after each time, until just smooth. Be careful not to overcook it!
Working with 10 pops at a time (you want to keep them nice and cold!), dip them into the chocolate, covering all the sides and then spin the pops a little bit to make the excess chocolate drip off.
Place the covered pops on a greased baking sheet and place them back in the freezer. Repeat with remaining pops. Allow them all 1-2 hours in the freezer before serving. They may also be kept in the refrigerator after the initial cooling.
Next party, I think I’m going to pass on the cider and go straight for the pumpkin pops.
What delicious drink does you in? Have you made any pumpkin recipes this season?
