Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These are super yummy. I never would have thought of doing pumpkin cupcakes. These aren't as pumpkin-y as pumpkin pie or pumpkin bars, so even non-pumpkin-lovers (like my sister-in-law) will love them!

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
2 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
24 pieces candy corn

Heat oven to 350*. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin pie spice and puree. Mix well. Divide the batter among prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool. Using an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe frosting onto cupcakes and top each with one piece candy corn. Yields 24 cupcakes. {My batch only made about 20 cupcakes.}

Recipe (with slight changes) and picture from Real Simple.

Potato-Pumpkin Soup

1 8 to 10 lb. pumpkin
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium white or yellow onions, chopped
6 cups water
1/2 cup condensed milk, cream or half-n-half
1 t cardamom
1 t salt
1/2 t white pepper
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Cut off the top 1/3 of the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and strings, saving the seeds. Using a sturdy spoon, scoop out the pumpkin flesh, leaving a 1-inch wall inside. Refrigerate the shell and top.
Combine the potatoes, onions, 2 cups pumpkin flesh and water in a large stockpot. Add the salt, white pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200. Put the pumpkin shell and top on a baking tray and place in the oven to warm.
Remove the vegetables and place in a food processor and puree until smooth, or mash by hand until no lumps remain. Return the puree to the cooking water. Stir in the milk, cream or half-n-half, adding more if necessary for a creamier consistency. Heat over low heat until hot.
To serve, place the pumpkin shell on a large serving tray. Pour in the hot soup and sprinkle with fresh parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Pumpkin Bread

This is from one of my favorite cook books Aggies, Moms, and Apple Pie

I love every recipe that I have made in this book, and I have made a bunch!


Pumpkin Bread
by Martha Rutherford, Deep East Texas Mother's Club
...
Ingredients:
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup orange juice
1 (16 oz) can of pumpkin or pumpkin pie
3.5 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1.5 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Optional ingredients:
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup of raisins
...
(I have made it with pecans and it is good. I don't do raisins...I think they are scary!)
Combine sugar and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl; blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add orange juice and pumpkin. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in nuts and raisins if desired. Pour batter, evenly divided, into four 1 pound coffee cans that have been well greased and floured. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Test for doneness with toothpick; longer baking is sometimes required. It is also a good mailer.
Now, I have never made it in the coffee cans, I have always used loaf pans. I would recommend the smaller loaf pans so that it gets done in the middle. I have made these as mini loaves and given them as Christmas gifts many times.
...
My husband would tell you to throw in some chocolate chips in the batter but I don't like my chocolate mixed with pumpkin...but some people love it.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 egg
1 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 T. butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 T. for the skillet

1. Preheat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. In a bowl, stir together all dry ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg for 30 seconds. Add yogurt, pumpkin puree, and 2 T. melted butter and beat well.

3. Stir in dry ingredients and beat just until combined.

4. Grease skillet lightly with butter. Pour 1/4 c. batter per pancake; flip with spatula when tops bubble and edges are slightly dry. Cook until other side is golden brown, 2 minutes per side.

Keep pancakes warm until ready to eat. I like to add chocolate chips if my kids have been good and if I've got the craving for chocolate - which is usually the case.

Yield: 4 servings
Parenting Magazine, October 2006

Pumpkin Roll Dessert

This is an old recipe of my wife's. She taught me to make it after we were married. If a guy can make it, then it must be easy!

For Roll:
3 eggs
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

For Filling:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together eggs, pumpkin, lemon juice, and sugar. Add flour baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix well and spread on greased jellyroll pan. Bake 13-15 minutes at 375 degrees. When done, loosen and flip onto wax paper. Roll in wax paper and cool.

For filling, mix cream cheese and butter, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Open chilled pumkin roll, spread filling on inside and reroll. Refrigerate and serve chilled.


I'll post a pic of this when we make it next, probably this weekend. Let me know what you think.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

This is the perfect cross between a yummy pumpkin pie and a yummy yellow cake. My friend Carrie made this for me just last week, and I've already made it once - going on twice. It's SO yummy! And until I can get her to join the recipe blog, I'll be posting for her.

Crust
1 package yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup out for topping)
1 egg
1 stick butter or margarine, melted

After reserving out 1 cup of the cake mix, combine remaining cake mix with egg and melted butter. Press into a 9 x 13 pan.

Filling
1 ½ c. pumpkin (unseasoned, solid pack)
¾ c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ginger
1—12 oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs

Mix together well and pour over crust.

Topping
1 c. reserved cake mix
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 T. butter
Chopped nuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in margarine. Crumble over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour (good served warm OR cold!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

All the grocery stores here in Provo (maybe all Utah) make these in their bakeries. They are good but these are even better!

1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon in balls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes or until done.

Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe makes a ton, you can freeze them and they make a great fast snack later.

I even like to think they are relatively healthy since they use applesauce instead of oil. To make them even healthier you can substitute 1/2 banana per 1 egg.

3 1/2 C flour 4 eggs
2 tsp salt 2/3 C water
2 tsp nutmeg 1 can pumpkin (16 oz)
2 tsp cinnamon 1 C applesauce
2 tsp baking soda Chocolate chips (opt)
2 1/2 C sugar

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients and slowly add to dry mixture. Mix until just combined- don't over mix. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350. For normal size muffines, bake 18-20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake 10-12 minutes.
Makes about 100 mini muffins or 3 dozen regular size.

Pumpkin Bread

I am a lover of good pumpkin bread... and this... so far... is the best I've tasted and made. It's got a real yummy spice taste to it.

Sift together:
3½ cups flour
1½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Beat together:
3 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
2 cups pumpkin (sm can)
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger

Mix with dry ingredients and blend well. Bake in greased & floured loaf pans at 350° for 1 hour.

(When I do the small loaf pans, I decrease the oven temp to 335° and only bake for about 30-40 minutes. One batch will make 16 small loaves.)