Make This: Organic Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Recipe

This contributor post was written by Amanda Toman.

Now that it’s fall and the temps are cooling, I’m sure you’ve got pumpkin flavored goodies on the brain. Everything from pumpkin spice lattes, to pumpkin cookies, to pumpkin pie, to pumpkin cheesecake, to pumpkin doughnuts, to pumpkin smoothies – you name it and there’s probably a recipe for it! But there is a little known pumpkin recipe that I wanted to share with you today that is so easy to make, so yummy and so perfectly fall. This little secret recipe is known as Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese.

This cream cheese is cold and creamy and is perfect to spread on your morning bagel but it also goes great with graham crackers, bananas, apples, ginger snaps, cinnamon bagel chips and muffins. It has all the flavors of autumn – pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla – packed into every bite. If you aren’t up for the calorie commitment of some of the seasons more famous pumpkin recipes (pumpkin doughnut I’m looking at you) but have a hankering for something pumpkiny, this Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese is your answer.

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz block of organic cream cheese – room temperature is best so let it thaw out a bit or toss in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
• 1/2 cup of organic pumpkin puree – personal preference is key here so feel free to use more or less depending on your taste.
• 1 cup of organic powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon organic pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. ground ginger + 1/8 tsp. allspice or cloves + dash of nutmeg)
• 1/2 teaspoon of organic vanilla extract

Directions:

Makes 1-1/2 cups

In a large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese and the pumpkin puree with an electric mixer and mix until smooth and uniform in color. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture (about 1/3 cup at a time). Add in the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla and mix until smooth and all ingredients are completely combined. Transfer to a container and let chill for an hour.

If you’d like to make a lighter version, feel free to use lowfat or fat free cream cheese. Also, if you can’t find organic ingredients, don’t sweat it, regular ingredients work too. *Recipe slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens.

Styling and photography by Brittni Mehlhoff for Paper & Stitch

Amanda Toman wrote this post. Amanda is a northern born girl that is southern raised and loves road trips, new recipes, books (well, teen fiction), all animals (especially her little grey kitty cat), crime scene television shows and scary films. You can follow her on Instagram @nannertoman and here on Twitter.