Tis the season! I’ve decked the halls with pumpkins and cobwebs, and fall baking is in full swing. Here’s a deliciously fragrant witchy spice mix for all your fall treats, everything from gingerbread to roasted veggies to pumpkin spice lattes.
It’s nothing revolutionary, it’s like chai masala with different levels of spice (not that you couldn’t make a lovely chai with this), and like store-bought pumpkin pie spice only so much more lovely and piquant because the spices are fresh ground. I’ve made a nice batch which I’ve stored in a little jar in my spice cabinet, but it’s going so quickly I know I’ll need to make another batch before the holiday season is over – and this time make it a double!
Also, this wouldn’t be half as witchy without some magical correspondences, so if you’re curious:
- Allspice: money, luck healing
- Black pepper: protection, exorcism
- Cardamom: lust, love (so you’ve got the sweet playful version with green cardamom and the smokey sexy one with black cardamom)
- Cinnamon: spirituality, success, healing, power, psychic powers, lust, protection, love (so, pretty much everything)
- Clove: protection, exorcism, love, money
- Ginger: love, money, success, power
- Star anise: psychic powers, luck
All the good stuff; if you’re looking for love, money, or just need a good old-fashioned exorcism, a batch of pumpkin bread may be just the thing. Happy baking!
Witchy Autumn Spice Mix
- 10 green cardamom pods
- 10 allspice berries
- 14 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon black pepper pods
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (about half a pod)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Lightly toast all spices except the ground nutmeg and ginger in a dry pan. Grind all spices in a spice grinder until very fine. You may need to crack the cinnamon sticks first, and then sift the spices once and grind the larger pieces again.
Stir in the ginger and nutmeg, and store in an airtight container. Will last indefinitely but spices will lose potency over time, so try to use within a month or two.