Pumpkin Pie Shots

Caleb is five weeks old and I am in Huntsville again. I cannot explain this fully except to say that the pull is gravitational and I have stopped resisting it. CJ and Shanice are not asking me to come. They are also not asking me not to come, which is the relevant information.

He has changed already. Five weeks is an enormous amount of time in a newborn's life — he is awake longer, more aware, turning his head toward voices and light and the particular sound of a pot hitting a stove, which he does every time I cook and which I consider a very good sign. Shanice says he calms when he hears me talking. I told CJ this. He said, that's because you talk the same way in the kitchen whether or not anyone is listening. I said, of course I do. The kitchen deserves the same voice. He said, Caleb knows that apparently. I said, Caleb is already more perceptive than you.

I cooked all Saturday — a full pot of gumbo, biscuits in the morning, a sweet potato pie for the week. Shanice ate with the hunger of a nursing woman, which is a particular kind of hunger I remember: bottomless, purposeful, the body demanding everything it needs to be everything it is being asked to be. I kept the plates full. I kept the kitchen going. That is what I can do. That is my specific contribution to the project of Caleb Marcus Simms arriving whole and well in this world.

The sweet potato pie I made that Saturday was the kind you bake for a week — something to pull from the fridge at ten in the morning when Shanice needed a few quiet minutes and something sweet in her hand. This recipe for Pumpkin Pie Shots is the version I’ve come back to when I want that same warm, spiced comfort without the full afternoon commitment: no oven, no crust to roll, just the filling doing all the work it was always meant to do. Keep a batch in the refrigerator and you will have something to offer every person who comes through the door to hold the baby, because they will come, and they will stay longer than they planned, and the kitchen should be ready for that.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour chilling | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed, plus more for serving
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, for garnish
Pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, for garnish

Instructions

Beat the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed until completely smooth and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes.
Add the pumpkin. Add the pumpkin puree and beat on medium until fully incorporated and the mixture is uniform in color, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Sweeten and spice. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Beat on low until combined, then increase to medium and beat for 1 minute until smooth and slightly fluffy.
Fold in the whipped topping. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 1 cup of whipped topping in two additions, being careful not to deflate it. The mixture should be light and mousse-like.
Fill the glasses. Spoon or pipe the pumpkin mixture into small shot glasses, dessert cups, or 2 oz serving cups, filling each about 3/4 of the way.
Chill. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, until set and cold throughout.
Garnish and serve. Just before serving, top each shot with a small dollop of whipped topping, a pinch of graham cracker crumbs, and a light dusting of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pumpkin Pie Shots — A Sweet Worth Keeping in the Fridge All Week