With Halloween coming up, the stores are full to bursting with big bags of candy in preparation for the flurry of trick-or-treaters.  As much as I love the festivity of this holiday, including handing out candy to excited little ones decked out in their wild costumes, I don't really enjoy traditional candy anymore.  Most of the store bought stuff is too sweet and full of bad-for-you ingredients.  I find that over the years I have enjoyed this yearly indulgence less and less, so much so that I never eat even the one fun sized candy that I so used to look forward to.

Now when I'm looking for a fun autumnal treat, I turn to this pumpkin fudge recipe.  I first tried this recipe last year when I was looking for a tasty dessert that wasn't too sweet or calorie laden.  Thanks to Coconut Mama, I was able to make this fudge (and adapt it to make other flavors) which satisfies my sweet tooth while offering me the healthy benefits of its ingredients. I also added the extra touch of a dark chocolate top layer over these little fudge pieces because my family of chocolate lovers would be disappointed in a dessert without it!

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut butter

3/4 cup organic pumpkin puree

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

4 tbsp whole milk

Warm coconut butter in saucepan on low heat until melted, about 5 minutes.  Then transfer to a bowl and combine with other ingredients, excepting the chocolate and milk.  Transfer to a shallow 8x8 dish and spread evenly.  In the meantime, melt the dark chocolate and milk in a saucepan on low.  Layer melted chocolate across top of fudge.  Let sit in fridge for 2-3 hours. Cut into one-inch squares and store in fridge until ready to eat.  Enjoy!