Buffalo-based food writer Nina Barone is known for posting recipes that mix modern influences—she picks up some tips from Pinterest, for example—and generations-old family recipes.

Barone, the voice of BuffaloFoodie.com, was kind enough to share some of her favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes for pumpkin cupcakes and chai pumpkin spice thumbprint cookies.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

“They are ridiculously delicious cupcakes and utterly perfect for this time of year,” Barone wrote in her blog.

Barone’s pumpkin cupcakes are adapted from a recipe on Pinterest that was inspired by a Martha Stewart original, she said. Here’s her version of the festive fall cupcake recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup raw cane sugar or granulated white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, beaten
15 ounces pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line cupcake trays with cupcake liners.

Whisk together all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix together dark brown sugar, cane sugar, melted butter and eggs. Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in pumpkin puree and stir until completely combined.
Fill cupcake papers to the top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of your cupcakes spring back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool completely before finishing with cinnamon and clove-spiced cream cheese frosting.

Cinnamon and clove-spiced cream cheese frosting

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract. Slowly add in powdered sugar until desired consistency.

Once desired consistency is met, add in cinnamon and cloves.

Chai Pumpkin Spice Thumbprints

Barone’s chai pumpkin spice thumbprint cookies are also Pinterest-inspired. Though she said in her blog that the pumpkin-spice Kisses are tough to find, they do give the cookie more of an autumnal taste.

Here’s her recipe:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chai concentrate
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chai spice mix
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
~24 pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and cream at medium speed until fluffy, or with a hand mixer, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, chai concentrate,  and the vanilla, mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch round balls. Place the dough balls on parchment paper lined baking sheets and sprinkle chai spice mix lightly over cookies.
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap kisses.

Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place pumpkin kisses in the center of each cookie. Cool completely. (Do not attempt to handle or eat one until completely cooled unless you’re like me and need to taste test one warm. See above photo for demo.)

Like what you see? Follow Barone on Twitter and Pinterest.