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How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice

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Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/">David Goehring</a>/Flickr/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons</a>
Photo by David Goehring/Flickr/Creative Commons

We're barely into October and already the store shelves are stocked with all manner of pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that, from ice cream to potato chips. But do you even know what pumpkin pie spice is, and why it would appear in anything other than pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin pie spice, as its name implies, is a traditional blend of spices that go into a good old fashioned pumpkin pie.

That's right: There is no pumpkin in pumpkin pie spice.

But these rich and sweet flavorings happen to taste delightful in other things besides pie ... like pancakes, tea cakes, cookies, lattes, yogurt, and even savory slow-cooked roasts (a few pinches is all you need). Pumpkin pie spice is also complementary to other starches like sweet potatoes and butternut squashes, giving them a warm and tantalizing flavor in the oven.

Depending on the particular blend, it can veer toward the sweeter side or the spicier side, and one of the great things about mixing your own at home (aside from being absurdly easy to make from ingredients you might already have) is tweaking the formula to your liking. Maybe you prefer a little more cinnamon, or want to kick up the heat with a little extra ginger. Maybe you'd rather skip the cloves and substitute some allspice. You could even add mace or cayenne to create your own signature blend.

Compared to a store-bought blend, homemade pumpkin pie spice is usually more cost-effective (if you have most of the spices on hand) and fresher in flavor (as you only need to stir up a batch when you need it).

Use the recipe below as a starting point, and tinker with the ratios as needed.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Makes a little less than 1/4 cup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Decant your pumpkin pie spice into a jar, seal, and store out of direct sunlight for up to one year.

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