Pumpkin Fluff

I stumbled upon the base recipe for this a few months ago and was intrigued but wanted to use real whipped cream and make a few other changes. Last night we went over to a friend's house and I decided it was my chance! The resulting dip/spread/whatever is very light and fluffy with great pumpkin flavor and a little bit of spice. It reminds me a lot of the filling my mother makes for her Pumpkin Chiffon Pie at Thanksgiving. If you love pumpkin and pumpkin pie, you're bound to like this!

Quick note: If you don't want to use the instant pudding, I'd imagine you could also leave it out and use extra vanilla extract and extra granulated or powdered sugar. No promises on how it would turn out but I don't really see how it could be bad! Maybe a little runnier.

Also, I know it isn't the prettiest thing ever but there are lots of things you could do it make it look nicer. Put it in a pretty bowl or a small hollowed out pumpkin and put it on a nice platter along with carefully arranged apples and cookies.

Pumpkin Fluff

15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 oz box instant cheesecake pudding mix

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

1/8 t nutmeg

1 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 C whipping cream

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together everything except whipping cream until well combined. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream. Start it on a medium low setting until the cream begins to thicken, then raise the speed and beat until it's reached the consistency of whipped cream. Be careful not to over beat or you'll have butter! Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for an hour or two if possible. Serve with sliced apples and cinnamon graham crackers, gingersnaps, or homemade molasses cookies.

Yield: About 5 cups