I love any­thing pumpkin…bread, pancakes…watch for pump­kin soup later this month. So nat­u­rally, I fig­ured it would pair well with choco­late. This is a fun project to do with kids. Candy molds are an inex­pen­sive pur­chase (I got mine at Michaels), and with the bon bon molds, you can fill them with any­thing you like. For autumn, here’s my offer­ing of maple infused pump­kin enclosed in semi-sweet chocolate.

Prep time: 15 min­utes
Total time: about 45 min­utes
Yield: 14 bon bons
Spe­cial equip­ment: bon bon candy molds and skinny pas­try brush or arts & crafts pain brush

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet choco­late (chopped from a block or use good qual­ity chips)

1/2 c. canned pump­kin (I use organic from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s)
2 T best qual­ity maple syrup
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cin­na­mon
1 T almond milk (or cream or half-n-half if you can do dairy)

1. Melt choco­late in a small pan over very low heat or use a dou­ble boiler method if you want the choco­late tem­pered.
2. Using a thin pas­try brush or small arts & crafts paint brush, coast the bot­tom and sides of the candy mold with choco­late. When you hold the mold up to the light, the choco­late should be thick enough to be opaque.
3. Place mold in freezer for 10 min­utes to allow choco­late to harden.
4. Mean­while, in small saucepan, add pump­kin, syrup, sugar, cin­na­mon and almond milk. Stir to com­bine and cook on low heat until the pump­kin cooks down to a deep color and fla­vor, about 5 min­utes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
5. Remove mold from freezer and fill each bon bon cav­ity (about a scant tea­spoon), allow­ing enough room from the top of the mold to paint a final layer of choco­late to cover the mold.
6. Place bon bons in freezer for another 10 min­utes to harden.
7. Remove from freezer and turn mold up side down and can­dies will dis­lodge from mold. Serve imme­di­ately dusted with cin­na­mon or store in fridge.