Since it's almost Halloween, here are six pumpkin recipes to help you through the day, including The Best Pumpkin Bread and Single-Serve Pumpkin Spiced Latte. Enjoy!
PUMPKIN SQUARES WITH OAT CRUST AND CRUMB TOPPING
This is from Diana Rattray on The Spruce Eats. She wrote, "Many versions of pumpkin bars are crowned with a cream cheese topping, but this version features a buttery and chewy oat-crumble—both as the bottom and top crust. The pumpkin filling in these delicious pumpkin squares is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and other typical "pumpkin pie" spices, making for a quintessential fall treat.
"These pumpkin bars with oat crumble crust can be enjoyed almost any time of day, whether an indulgent breakfast, late morning snack, afternoon pick-me-up, or tasty dessert. They're also perfect for packing in the lunch box. Feel free to use store-bought pumpkin spice or make your own from scratch."
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Makes 24 servings
To view this inline, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/pumpkin-squares-3052040.
Ingredients
For the Oat Crumble:
1-1/2 cups oats (quick-cooking)
1-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar (light, firmly packed)
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
For the Filling:
1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin puree (2 cups)
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar (light, packed)
1 egg
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan.
Make the oat crumble. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt, baking soda, and butter. Beat until the mixture is crumbly.
Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture and press the remaining mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Beat the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl until well blended and smooth.
Spread filling over the crust and sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.
Return to the oven and bake 25 minutes longer. Cool and cut into bars.
Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice
To make the spice mix from scratch, combine 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.
Pumpkin Puree vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling
Although both of these canned products can sit side-by-side on the grocery store shelf, pumpkin puree and pie filling are two different things. Pumpkin puree, which can also be labeled "100 percent pure pumpkin," "solid pack pumpkin," or simply "pumpkin," is simply cooked and mashed squash without any sweeteners or seasonings added. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, does include ingredients to add sweetness and flavor, making it a convenience when baking pumpkin pie or other pumpkin desserts. Although you can use pumpkin puree in place of pie filling (and add the necessary spices and sweeteners), it is trickier to substitute the pie filling for the puree as it's more difficult to eliminate flavorings and maintain the integrity of the recipe.
SINGLE-SERVE PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE
This yumminess is from Folgers. Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 1 minute; Servings: 1; Difficulty: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/single-serving-pumpkin-spiced-latte.
Ingredients
1 Folgers Gourmet Selections® Lively Colombian Coffee K-Cup® pod
Pinch pumpkin pie spice, plus additional for garnish
Vanilla-flavored coffee creamer
whipped cream
Directions
Brew coffee on smallest cup setting into coffee cup.
Stir in pumpkin pie spice and creamer to taste.
Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice.
THE BEST PUMPKIN BREAD
This is from the Food Network, and begins, "This pumpkin bread is perfectly moist, not-too-sweet and couldn't be easier. It's perfect for toasting and slathering with butter or cream cheese, and maybe a drizzle of honey or maple syrup."
Active Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 2 loaves; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pumpkin-bread-recipe-1957866.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter, for the pans
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan (see Cook's Note)
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.
Whisk together the sugar and oil in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and pumpkin until combined.
Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Add half the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Add half the water and stir to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour and water.
Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Bake until cake tester comes out clean and the loaves are golden brown, about 1 hour. Let the loaves cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
EASY PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE
This is from Ashley, a high school teacher turned blogger, on her wonderful site, The Recipe Rebel. This recipe begins, “This Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake takes just 10 minutes prep and makes it’s own caramel pudding sauce as it bakes! Perfect hot from the oven with a scoop of ice cream.”
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Makes 6 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat!)
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1/3 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/4 cup hot or boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9" pie plate or baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves with a spoon.
Add in pumpkin, milk, oil and vanilla and stir until a thick batter forms. Spread into prepared pie plate.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup brown sugar and corn starch until there are no clumps. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Add butter to hot water and stir until melted. Pour over brown sugar mixture in pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is completely set (keep in mind that there is a thick layer of caramel sauce in the bottom, so it may jiggle). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat perfectly!
FROM SCRATCH PUMPKIN PIE
This is from Nancy Fuller on the Food Network.
Active Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes (includes chilling and cooling times); Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/from-scratch-pumpkin-pie-2251073.
Ingredients
Pumpkin:
1 medium sugar pumpkin (about 3 pounds)
Canola oil, for oiling pumpkin
Easy Pie Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Filling:
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 large eggs
Directions
For the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the stem from the pumpkin and scrape out the insides, discarding the seeds. Cut the pumpkin in half and lay the pieces cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub canola oil all over the skin and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
For the easy pie crust: While the pumpkin is cooking, make the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add in the butter and work into the dough with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in just enough cold water (4 to 5 tablespoons) with a fork just until the flour is moistened. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another use.
Roll out the remaining dough ball on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold the overhangs under and crimp decoratively. Pierce the dough all over with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Line the crust with foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake until the sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
For the filling: Scoop out the pulp from the roasted pumpkin and puree in a food processor until smooth (you should have about 4 cups). Add the condensed milk, cream, cornstarch, molasses, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, salt and eggs and combine thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the filling is set in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
PUMPKIN BREAD
This yumminess, from Betty Crocker, begins, "We 'fall' for this Pumpkin Bread recipe over and over again. Fire up your coziest playlist, grab your baking gear and get ready for the most incredible homemade pumpkin bread of your life. This pumpkin loaf makes for a great gift, from housewarmings to a teacher appreciation moment, go on and give a little! The best part? With only 95 calories per serving, our moist pumpkin bread won't derail your diet. So have another piece. After all, pumpkin season doesn't last forever."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes; Makes 24 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1-2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan 9x5x3 inches, with shortening.
Stir together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
Bake 8-inch loaves 50 to 60 minutes, 9-inch loaf 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
tip 1
There is a significant difference between an 8-inch versus a 9-inch loaf pan. The volume each holds will affect how much batter is needed and how high a bread will bake. A large 9x5-inch loaf pan will hold nearly double the amount of batter that an 8x4-inch pan will.
tip 2
Greasing just the bottom of your loaf pan and not the sides will help your Pumpkin Bread to form a loaf with gently rounded tops, without creating ridges along the edges.
Tip 3
To ensure success in this pumpkin loaf recipe, use canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix). Canned pumpkin is not only convenient but provides a consistent texture, perfect for baking.
Tip 4
Go ahead and leave the raisins out if you don't like them. This pumpkin nut bread still will be delicious!
tip 5
You can swap in pieces of dried fruit (cranberries or cherries) or mini chocolate chips for the raisins and nuts or in tandem with them. Try chopped cashews with mini chocolate chips, or walnuts with dried cherries! Just be sure to use the same amount of ingredients.
tip 6
The best way to measure flour is to first stir the flour a bit before spooning into the measuring cup. Fill until heaping and then sweep the excess off the top with the flat edge of a butter knife.
More About This Recipe
"When your favorite coffee shop starts advertising the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, you know that autumn is truly here at last. Why not make it official by stirring up a batch of this easy pumpkin bread? You don’t need an electric mixer or any fancy equipment—just a bowl, a spoon and a loaf pan. The best part about this pumpkin bread recipe is that it’s infinitely customizable. You can stir chocolate chips into the batter, sprinkle powdered sugar or spread Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting on top of the baked loaf. If you’d like to add freshly baked homemade pumpkin bread to your autumn cooking, check out Betty’s best pumpkin bread recipe collection where you’ll find time-tested favorites and new flavor twists."
Nutrition: 95 Calories, 4 g Total Fat, 2 g Protein, 14 g Total Carbohydrate
