Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I love Halloween and I love pumpkins. Around this time of year there is a ton of stuff labeled "pumpkin spice" but a lot of that stuff doesn't actually include pumpkin, I wanted to make something that did. This year I decided I'd try to make a pumpkin pie fudge with a sugar pumpkin I bought at the store.

This recipe can be easily adapted to exclude actual pumpkin and just use pumpkin spices for flavoring.

2 1/2 cups of sugar

5oz evaporated milk

1/4 cup of butter

7oz marshmallow fluff or 1 bag of mini marshmallows

Pinch of salt

1 bag white chocolate chips (chocolate chips are tasty too)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (my Instructable for pumpkin puree)

1/2 bag chopped nuts (your preference, also optional)

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-1 tbs pumpkin pie spice to mix in (your preference how strong you want the pumpkin spice)

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for dusting

Mix the first 4 ingredients (evaporated milk, sugar, salt, butter and marshmallows) together in a large pot over medium-high heat. Use the largest pot you can, larger than you think you need. You will need it.

Stir regularly and bring to a boil. Once the boiling starts, stir constantly for at least 6 minutes. I sometimes go a minute or two over because the first time I tried making pumpkin fudge I likely didn't let the mixture boil long enough and it turned into a gooey caramel-y mess (picture 3). I tried to throw mini chocolate chips in to help the fudge set, but that didn't work and it made the color a slightly off-putting brown.

Let the marshmallow mix boil for about five minutes, but continue to stir. After 5 minutes turn off heat and stir in white chocolate chips, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice. If you're adding nuts, add them now. You could also add in mini chocolate chips for more color and flavor. Pour the entire mixture into am 8x8 baking dish or disposable tin.

The fudge didn't come out orange-y enough, so I added a teeny bit of peach colored food gel and accidentally turned everything more of a pinkish color.

Sprinkle the top with pumpkin spices and let the fudge sit on the counter (or in the fridge) until cooled. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.