It’s what you’ve all been waiting for – the collection of our pumpkin bake-off recipes! Happy Baking and let us know how your Fall Harvest yummies turned out!
SWEET CATEGORY RECIPES (as submitted by the associated chef/ baker)
PUMPKIN CAKE POPS by Janel Shepherd
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS — Pumpkin Cake:
- 2 C Flour
§ 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
§ 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
§ 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
§ 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
§ 2 1/4 sticks butter
§ 1 C Sugar
§ 1 C packed brown sugar
§ 3 eggs
§ 2 C pumpkin puree
Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Sift all dry ingredients (except sugars) into a large bowl and set aside. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Add one egg at a time until well blended. Fold in pumpkin puree. Add small amounts of the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix until just incorporated. Pour mixture into a 9×13 greased and floured cake pan. Smooth out. Cake mix will be thick. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS — Cream Cheese Icing:
§ 1/2 stick unsalted butter
§ 8 oz. cream cheese
§ 3-4 C powdered sugar
§ 1 tsp. vanilla
§ 1-2 tsp. milk if needed.
Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla together until creamy and smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add milk if icing is too thick.
CAKE POP PREPARTION:
You will need lollipop sticks, clear treat baggies, ribbon or twisty ties, and 1 lb. white chocolate or milk chocolate.
Once cake has baked and cooled, crumble the cake until you reach small crumb pieces. Add about 1 cup of the cream cheese icing. Do this a little at a time to prevent soggy dough. Once the icing is incorporated, roll dough into small bite sized balls. Set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler until all chocolate is melted. Take the sticks and dip one end into chocolate and then into the cake ball. Place into the fridge for 5 minutes. Next dip into the bowl of chocolate draining off any excess chocolate. Decorate to your preference. Once hardened wrap with clear goodie bags.
PUMPKIN COOKIES by Phyllis O’Beollain
INGREDIENTS:
§ ½ cup butter 1 ½ cup sugar
§ 1 egg 1 cup pumpkin 1 t vanilla
§ 2 ½ cups flour 1 t baking soda
§ 1 t baking powder ½ t salt 1 t nutmeg
§ 1 t cinnamon ½ cup diced roasted nuts
§ 1 c chocolate pieces
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix together and sift in dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture; mix well. Add chocolate and nuts and mix well. Drop by teaspoonful onto well greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for fifteen minutes or till lightly browned.
PUMPKIN DONUTS WITH MAPLE ICING (Vegan) by Rachael Harris (First Place SWEET Winner!)
INGREDIENTS — Donuts:
§ 1 T. flaxseed meal, mixed with 2 T. warm water
§ 1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk, mixed with 1/4 t. apple cider vinegar
§ 1 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
§ 2 t. baking powder
§ 2 t. baking soda
§ 1/2 t. salt
§ 1 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
§ 1/4 t. cinnamon
§ 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
§ 2 T. Earth Balance butter
§ 1 t. vanilla
§ 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin puree
§ Oil for frying
INGREDIENTS — Icing:
§ 1 c. powdered sugar
§ 5 T. maple syrup
INGREDIENTS — Topping:
§ Cinnamon sugar (mix 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice with 2 1/2 t. cinnamon)
INSTRUCTIONS — (Altogether):
1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and cane juice until evenly distributed.
3. Add the flaxseed mixture and mix until combined. Add vanilla, pumpkin, and almond milk mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients. I just dump it all in at once, but it’s probably better to do this in batches.
5. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
6. Press or roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using the top of a round glass, press down into the dough. You should make a nice little circle cut out. Then, take an apple corer (or just use a knife) and cut out a small circle in the middle. Now you have your donut and your donut hole!
7. Set holes and donuts on a lightly floured baking sheet until you have finished cutting all of your donuts out.
8. Heat several inches of oil (I used canola) in a heavy pot over medium heat. Once hot, slide donuts in the oil to fry. I would fry 2-3 large donuts or 3-5 donut holes at one time. Rotate the donuts until golden brown on both sides. Remove for oil, place on a rack lined with paper towels to drain, and allow to cool.
9. While cooling, mix together the powdered sugar and maple syrup to form your icing. Take each donut and dip one side in the icing. Make sure it’s covered completely! Before the icing hardens, sprinkle the tops with a good amount of cinnamon sugar.
GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN ORANGE PIZZELLI by Lily Frierson
DESCRIPTION:
Some things are actually better without gluten! Piecrusts are lighter, and crispy cookies are crispier, with stronger and brighter flavors unclouded by big, heavy wheat molecules. These pizzelli are a perfect example. You can play around with the recipe all you want with spices and other ingredients, as long as the consistency of the dough remains basically the same: not too soggy, not too dry. Since some pumpkins and the resulting purees are more watery than others, start with less rather than more, and adjust as needed.
INGREDIENTS:
§ 4 cups gluten-free flour mix*
§ 2 ¼ tsp. baking powder
§ 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
§ Pinch of salt
§ 1 ½ – 2 cups brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
§ 1 cup melted butter
§ 4-6 tbsp. pureed pumpkin,
§ 3 eggs
§ 1 tsp. excellent organic vanilla
§ ½ tsp. excellent organic orange extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
Sift or thoroughly whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk liquid ingredients together, starting with the smaller amount of pumpkin. Mix the dry and liquid ingredients until dough is smooth, and add more pumpkin if needed. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place slightly off-center, towards the back, on well-oiled pizzelle iron. Close and bake until crisp and lightly brown. (You will develop a sense of how they smell when done after a few tries). Let cool on a rack away from humidity, and store in a tightly sealed container, if they last long enough to store.
VARIATION:
If you have asbestos fingers or something close to it, you can curl and bend the pizzelli fresh off the iron into cones, cylinders, or taco shapes, and fill with whipped cream (plain or flavored), ice cream, gelato, or flavored cream cheese. If you do this, eat immediately, because a soggy pizzelle is a sad pizzelle that has lost its crispy purpose in life.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS from the Chef:
*For the Marvin’s contest, I am using a mix of brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. Avoid bean flours – usually so good and good for you – as they can make for some very unhappy smells in the kitchen if they burn on the iron! Sweet potato flour might be a good addition – I haven’t tried it yet. Hmm. In the past, I have also used ½ to ¾ cup almond meal (even crispier and more flavorful), ground hazelnuts (traditional in Italy), ground walnuts, or chestnut flour (a little more depth and, mmm, autumnality if I can coin a word) as additions, but did not want to provoke anyone’s nut allergy at the Marvin’s festival. I also avoided some traditional Southern pumpkin pie add-ins, like rum and whiskey, for a similar reason. The more who can eat these, the better!
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES by Maria Hardy
INGREDIENTS:
§ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
§ 3/4 brown sugar
§ 3/4 granulated sugar
§ 1 cup canned pumpkin
§ 1 egg, beaten
§ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
§ 2 1/2 cups flour
§ 1 tsp. cinnamon
§ 1/2 tsp. ginger
§ 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
§ Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
§ 1 tsp. baking powder
§ 1 tsp. baking soda
§ 1/2 tsp. salt
§ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin and beat well. Then add eggs and beat well. Finally add vanilla and beat well. Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, about 1/3 at a time and mix well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula. Spoon batter onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lightly buttered. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let sit for one minute after removing from oven. Then cool on wire racks.
PUMPKIN PASTIES by Deanne Leland (adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook)
INGREDIENTS — Pastry Crust:
§ 1 1/4 cups 50/50 flour
§ 1 tablespoon raw sugar
§ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
§ 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
§ 3 tablespoons organic vegetable shortening, cut into chunks
§ 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
INGREDIENTS — Filling:
§ 1 cup pumpkin (cooked pumpkin from scratch)
§ 1/4 cup raw sugar
§ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
§ 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Scatter the butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Use your hands (with gloves on) to mix together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, with no white powdery bits remaining. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture. Toss the mixture together with a spatula until it starts clumping together. Make the dough into a ball and pat it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface. Be sure to flour the rolling pin also. Use a glass or ceramic bowl to cut out 6-inch circles.
Next, put 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the filling, and crimp with a wet fork to seal the edges. Cut slits to make vents. Bake on an lightly greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes or until browned.
PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CHAI WHISEY BUTTERCREAM + CARMELIZED WALNUTS by Marisa Domizio
(Second Place SWEET Winner!) Makes 12
INGREDIENTS — Cupcake:
§ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
§ 1 ¾ tsp. baking powder
§ 1 tsp. cinnamon
§ ¼ tsp. cloves
§ ½ tsp. nutmeg
§ ½ tsp. ground ginger
§ ½ cup butter (1 stick)
§ ¾ cup brown sugar
§ 1 cup pumpkin puree
§ 2 eggs
§ 2 tsp. vanilla
INGREDIENTS — Buttercream:
§ ¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
§ 3 cups powdered sugar
§ Bourbon or whiskey of choice – ¼ cup
§ Chai teabag
INGREDIENTS — Caramelized Walnuts:
§ 1 cup sugar
§ ½ cup water
§ 1 cup water for stopping
§ ¼ walnuts, in small pieces
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix flour, baking soda and spices in a small bowl. In a mixer, cream together butter & sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla & pumpkin, beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Fill wrappers 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then put on a rack to cool.
(For buttercream)
Put teabag in 3 TB of whiskey. Check after a few hours to see how it smells. If it’s strong enough for your liking, remove the teabag. You can always add more unflavored whiskey later if it tastes too strongly of chai. In a mixer, beat the butter – about 2 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once it gets too dry, add a splash of the bourbon mix. Keep adding sugar & bourbon until you get a nice spreadable consistency. Spread or pipe on cakes.
(For walnuts)
Mix sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan. Heat sugar over high heat until it turns amber. Add the 1 cup of water to stop it. It will sputter, be very careful! Keep stirring until is combined. Remove from heat. Mix in walnuts, spread on greased cookie sheet or a Silpat. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Break apart & use as décor.
SAVORY CATEGORY RECIPES (as submitted by the associated chef/ baker)
PUMPKIN TAMALES by Phyllis O’Beollain
INGREDIENTS:
§ 2 cups (heaping) Masa Harina
§ 2 cups to 2 1/2 cups warm chicken stock or water
§ 1/2 pound lard
§ 2 cups pureed cooked pumpkin
§ 1 1/2 teaspoons ground canela (cinnamon)
§ 3 ounces piloncillo or 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, firmly packed.
§ Salt
INGREDIENTS — Filling:
§ 1 T mixed oil
§ ½ white onion, peeled and chopped
§ 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
§ 2 small zucchini, cut into cubes
§ Some corn, probably about a cup or so
§ 2 teaspoons epazote, if I can find any
§ ½ t Mexican oregano (I grow my own. Smile).
§ ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix masa harina in a bowl or pot with enough warm stock to make soft but not sticky dough. Beat lard in separate large bowl on medium speed until very light and fluffy. Add masa harina mixture and pumpkin puree to lard little at time, beating on medium speed and scraping down as needed. Mixture should be as light as butter cream. Beat in cinnamon, piloncillo and salt to taste.
(For filling)
Sauté onion 5 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté for 3 minutes or so. Add corn, seasonings, and cook for another couple minutes. Stir in cheese and remove from heat. Assemble tamales, lining corn husks with dough, adding filling, folding them up and steam!
PUMPKIN MAC N’ CHEESE (Vegan) by Rachael Harris
INGREDIENTS:
§ 1 1/2 c. elbow macaroni (or any shape)
§ 2 T. olive oil
§ 1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour
§ 1/2 C. + 1 T. unsweetened almond milk
§ 3/4 c. pumpkin puree
§ 1 c. Daiya cheddar cheese
§ 1/4 c. vegan cream cheese
§ 1/2 c. diced onion
§ 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
§ 1/8 tsp. paprika
§ 1/8 tsp. pepper
§ dash of salt
§ 1/2 c. bread crumbs
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook the pasta until al dente.
2. In a large sauce pot, add 1 T. olive oil and the diced onion. Sauté until onion is soft.
3. Add remaining 1 T. of olive oil and the flour to the pot and stir constantly until thick but not brown (about 1 minute).
4. Add almond milk and stir constantly until thickened.
5. Add pumpkin, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheeses are melted and everything is well combined.
6. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce. Stir until all pasta is coated.
7. Once placed in individual serving bowl, sprinkle with some breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you could pour all of the mac & cheese into a large baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and place in the broiler just until the crumbs have browned.
PUMPKIN SAGE CORNBREAD MUFFINS + BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE by Marisa Domizio Makes 12
INGREDIENTS — Muffin:
§ 1 ¼ cups flour
§ 1 cup cornmeal
§ 2 tsp. baking powder
§ 2 TB sugar
§ ½ tsp. salt
§ 1 egg
§ ¾ cup pumpkin puree
§ 2/3 cup plain yogurt
§ ¼ cup milk
§ 1 TB sage, chopped
INGREDIENTS — Topping:
§ ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
§ 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
INSTRUCTIONS: (For muffin)
Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add egg, pumpkin, sage, yogurt and milk. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix only until moistened (do not over mix). Fill muffin tins 2/3 full, bake 17-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
(For topping)
Put stick of butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until light amber. Remove from heat & pour in a bowl. Skim off the white part and let it set for awhile. Once it sets, scrape off the brown butter, leaving the brown bits in the bottom of the bowl. Beat the cream cheese with a mixer. Add the butter slowly to taste. I find using about 2/3 of the brown butter tastes good but it’s up to you. Pipe or spread on cool muffins.
SPOOKY PUMPKIN CHILI (Vegan + All Organic) by Diantha Decker (First Place SAVORY Winner!)
INGREDIENTS:
§ Pumpkin puree
§ Homegrown Tomatoes
§ Tomato Paste
§ Black-eyed Peas
§ Garbanzo Beans
§ Black Beans
§ Kidney Beans
§ Pinto Beans
§ Anasazi Beans
§ Red + Green Lentils
§ Tempeh
§ Homegrown Garlic
§ Onions
§ Chili Powder
§ Cumin
§ Cinnamon
§ Cloves
§ Paprika
SIDE ITEMS (for garnish & added flavor):
§ Cilantro
§ Green onions
§ Yellow onions
§ Dave’s Hot Sauce
§ Celery
§ Shredded Cheese
**INSTRUCTIONS TO COME SOON!**
PHUKET PUMPKIN SOUP (Vegan) by Ben Kroger (Second Place Savory Winner!)
DESCRIPTION:
This is a very nice blend of traditional Thai flavors. The methods I use produce a very smooth texture and a consistent flavor profile, with all of the ingredients becoming fully integrated. If you prefer pockets of flavor or additional texture, I have tried to provide alternatives with that in mind.
INGREDIENTS:
§ 2 cups pumpkin puree (you can sub 1 15 oz. can if you don’t have time to prepare)
§ 2 cups coconut milk
§ 2 cups mango nectar
§ 3 cups vegetable stock (if you don’t have stock, you can use 3 cups water and 2-3 vegetable bouillon cubes)
§ 3-4 tablespoons rice vinegar (can substitute juice of 2 limes)
§ About 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
§ 3 cloves garlic, minced
§ 2 Serrano chiles, minced (you can adjust quantity if you prefer more/less heat)
§ 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (can substitute crunchy if you want more texture)
§ Chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Prepare pumpkin by taking 2-3 small to medium sized “pie” or “sweet” pumpkins, halving and cleaning them, and then placing them cut side down in a pan of water; you can also roast the pumpkin (by placing the halves on a baking sheet instead of in water), but that produces a markedly different flavor due to the caramelization process. Either way, bake at 350 for 45-60 mins, or until pumpkin flesh is fork tender. Remove skin and cut flesh into large cubes, then puree in food processor.
- Combine pumpkin puree, coconut milk, mango nectar, and stock in a large pot and whisk together.
- Add vinegar and/or lime juice.
- Put minced ginger and Serrano chiles in blender with a couple ladles of soup and blend until thoroughly incorporated. Return to pot. *Always be careful when blending hot ingredients* (If you prefer the texture of the minced ingredients, the simply add to pot without blending, but be sure to add early so that the flavors have time to really incorporate. Also, take care when serving, as the chiles will float and the ginger will sink, so be sure to stir while ladling).
- Chop cilantro/green onions and set aside.
- When soup reaches a low boil, combine a couple of ladles of soup with peanut butter, whisking together until dissolved. Return to pot.
- Serve in bowls garnished with cilantro and green onions.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz the low humming buzz of a bee as it flies past makes some people a little bit jumpy, but bees are our helpers in the garden. See, they visit flowers, gathering up nectar to make honey, but their fuzzy little bodies also pick up pollen (that yellowy dust that sticks to your nose when you sniff a flower). Bees carry the pollen from one flower to another, dropping some off, picking some up, gathering nectar and nutrients from the plants to take back to the hive. This process of moving pollen from flower to flower is called pollination, and its how lots of plants make fruit (that we love to eat, like apples and peaches and cherries, Oh My!) They make honey by spreading out the nectar allowing water to evaporate into the air, leaving the thicker, yummy substance we eat called honey!
