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.