Tomorrow being Halloween, I thought it appropriate to offer up some of my favourite recipes using pumpkin.
If you want to go the whole nine yards you can buy some sugar pumpkins (not the jack o' lantern variety) and make your own puree, but the canned variety is perfectly fine for any of these desserts. Just make sure you buy unsweetened pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices added.
Pumpkin Toffee Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups Skor Toffee Bits (look in the aisle where you'd find chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy; add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined, then stir in the toffee bits. Scoop level tablespoons of batter onto the lined baking sheet, one inch apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly browned around the edges and set. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 36 cookies.
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves
Whipped cream to garnish
Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in a blender and blend until smooth (blend long enough for brown sugar to dissolve). Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream. Makes four servings.
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (for topping)
Icing: Half of a 250-gram package of cream cheese, softened 6 Tbsp butter, softened ½ tsp vanilla 2 cups icing sugar 1 Tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, stir together the first eight ingredients (flour through cloves). In a large bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, both sugars and vegetable oil; whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture one-third at a time, stirring until combined after each addition. Stir in raisins. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each cup twothirds full.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from muffin pan and cool completely on a wire rack. To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy; beat in vanilla.
Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well; add milk one teaspoon at a time until icing is spreadable. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle crystallized ginger on top. Makes 12 cupcakes.
Angela Shellard is a selfdescribed foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
