For Halloween or any fall party, you can use lots of things for your centerpiece. A bunch of little pumpkins with orange lights, some pretty fall flowers, or a bucket full of fun size candies. But why not make my Crunchy Caramel Pumpkin?

Using a crisp caramel and peanut butter candy mixture, this pumpkin is a cute centerpiece and a wonderful sweet treat for Halloween or any fall celebration. Use two batches of Special Kay Bars (minus the caramels) for the base, then frost and decorate.

While this dessert looks intimidating, it isn’t. You just have to make two batches of the candy and push it into a well sprayed Bundt pan. The mixture will unmold easily when it’s cool. Then you just stack them, frost the outside, add the “stem,” and your gorgeous Halloween dessert is ready. You can add some eyes, a nose, and a mouth if you’d like, using either black frosting or candies. I wouldn’t use construction paper unless you know it’s food safe.

I like to put my pumpkin on a cake stand, and set it in the center of the table. It adds the perfect finishing touch to your Halloween meal.

How to make the best Crunchy Caramel Pumpkin:

• Make sure that you spray the bundt pan thoroughly with baking spray. Don’t use the type with flour, because that is meant to be used on baked goods. Raw flour isn’t safe to eat.
• Work quickly to get the warm caramel and cereal mixture into the pan. Press it down firmly but not too hard. Let it cool completely before you try to unmold it.
• Make one recipe, get it into the bundt pan, and if you  don’t have another pan, let it cool completely and unmold it before you make the next batch. If you have two bundt pans that are the same size, go ahead and make them one after the other.
• The two halves of the pumpkin should stick together easily. If they don’t, use some frosting to hold the pieces together.

Why this recipe works:

• The recipe really does look like a pumpkin when it’s finished! Cut into slices, then cut each slice in half to serve.