Fall may just be our favorite season, mostly because of the flavors that accompany this time of the year! This Pumpkin Caramel Panna Cotta recipe has a nice subtle pumpkin flavor and is so silky and creamy! Enjoy this fall creamy dessert drizzled with a salted caramel sauce and candied pecans.
Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta in Italian translates to "cooked cream." It is a classic Italian dessert that combines sweetened cream, vanilla extract and gelatin giving it a silky custard texture. Generally, panna cottas are very easy desserts to make and only require a few basic ingredients. Although these are easy to make, a panna cotta is an elegant dessert that is perfect for a special occasion.
Our Pumpkin Caramel Panna Cotta
Our version of a seasonal pumpkin panna cotta recipe incorporates pumpkin and pumpkin spices to give this classic dessert a nice twist with fall flavors! Even if you aren't a pumpkin dessert lover, this panna cotta is for you! The subtle pumpkin flavor in this fall dessert combined with the warm spices and homemade caramel sauce is so delicious! These are perfect for a fall dinner party and can be made up to two days in advance.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend
We use a homemade pumpkin spice blend for this recipe. You can of course use a store bought, pre-blended spice like Pumpkin Pie Spice. But we prefer the ratios of this particular blend. We combine the following delicious spices for this homemade blend:
- 3 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
We generally make a batch of this at the beginning of Fall and use it in a variety of desserts and drinks.
Pumpkin Puree
We use real pumpkin in this recipe so there is no artificial pumpkin taste to these. Using canned pumpkin puree works well in this recipe, just make sure you are buying the pure pumpkin puree rather than a canned pumpkin pie mixture that already incorporates spices.
You can, of course, make homemade pumpkin puree if you wish. Especially during pumpkin season, we prefer using pie pumpkins, such as sweet or sugar pumpkins, and making our own puree. Check out our easy pumpkin puree recipe HERE.
Pumpkin Desserts
We absolutely love a dreamy dessert with pumpkin this time of the year. If you are looking for other pumpkin recipes, check out our Pumpkin Spice Butter Cake aka “Crack Cake” or our Pumpkin Mascarpone Cheesecake with Candied Cinnamon Pecans.
Enjoy!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Caramel Panna Cotta with Candied Pecans. If you give this recipe a try and like it, leave us a 5 star rating and comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Recipe developed in collaboration with Chef Vanessa Wilson-Watson
Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out:
- Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whiskey Maple Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes
- Brown Butter and Pecan Rum Cake
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Caramel Panna Cotta with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
Panna Cotta
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon unflavoured geltain
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (our homemade spice blend below)
- Pinch salt
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200g) fine granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoon (90g) salted butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
Candied Cinnamon Pecans
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup pecans
Instructions
Panna Cotta
- In a heavy medium saucepan, add the milk then sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top. Let it stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin and allow it to bloom.
- Over low heat, whisk the milk and bloomed gelatin until the gelatin dissolves for about 5 minutes. Do not let the milk boil. Remove from heat if necessary.
- Next, add the cream, pumpkin, honey, sugar, pumpkin pie seasoning and salt to the gelatin mixture. Stir the pumpkin mixture until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a soft boil, about 5-8 minutes. Watch carefully so it does not boil over. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
- Pour the panna cotta mixture into 6 silicone molds or serving bowls, ramekins, or glasses depending on how you want to serve these. We used 3-4 inch silicone molds and turned the panna cotta out onto a plate to serve. You can serve in a glass if desired. Allow the mixture to cool slightly at room temp (about 10-15 minutes) then refrigerate until set for at least 2 hours, ideally for 4 hours.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- While the panna cottas are cooling, make your caramel sauce.
- Heat sugar in a heavy bottom, high sided saucepan (stainless steel) on a medium heat. If possible, try not to use nonstick pans for this recipe. Stir constantly with a high heat resistant spatula. The sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick nice amber color. PLEASE BE CAREFUL it will be extremely hot!
- Once the sugar has melted and browed, immediately stir in butter until melted and well combined.
- Next, very slowly stir in ½ cup of heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder, it will rapidly bubble. If you are nervous about the bubbling, wear an oven mitt while pouring.
- Once combined, remove the caramel sauce from the heat and stir in the salt. Allow the caramel to slightly cool down before using, it will thicken once cooled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Candied Cinnamon Pecans
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Cook sugar mixture until the surface bubbles (approximate 3-5 minutes) and all the sugar has dissolved.
- Reduce heat to low and add pecans and a pinch of salt. Stir until pecans are coated completely. Continue cooking pecans for another 2-3 minutes.
- Spread pecans out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool completely at room temperature.
- Store pecans in an airtight container. Add several to each panna cotta for serving.
Nutrition
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