10 of Our Favorite Pumpkin Recipes of Years Past

Like the rest of the world, I go pumpkin-crazy as soon as fall arrives. Before I start this year's pumpkin explosion, I thought I'd go back and look at our favorite pumpkin recipes of the past. Both sweet and savory.

1. Pumpkin Dip with Cinnamon-Sugar Pastries
My husband is madly in love with this dip. I make it for him twice a year--every autumn and every year for his birthday, but I don't think a month goes by without him asking me to make pumpkin dip.

2. Cheese Tortellini with a Pumpkin Sauce
This dish was my first time experimenting with pumpkin in a savory dish. I remember trying all kinds of variations trying to get it just right. I ended up loving this pumpkin sauce so much, I mentioned it in my novel, The Creaking Tree.

3. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
After being unable to find a fudgy pumpkin brownie recipe, I invented my own. I suppose I should have called them blondies instead of brownies, but whatever they are called, they are addicting.

4. Pumpkin Gnocchi in a Parmesan Sauce
Eric doesn't usually get excited for my savory pumpkin dishes. He's a big believer that pumpkin should be sweet. But he is always willing to at least try my creations and this happens to be one that he'll eat with pleasure.

5. Pumpkin Caramels
My father-in-law loves these caramels. He seriously could not stop eating them.

6. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
These cookies are a combination of so many delicious things--pumpkin, oatmeal cookies, white chocolate, cranberries--that they had no choice but to be amazing.

7. Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage
This stew scream autumn. It's warm and comforting and heavy.

8. Pumpkin Hot Cocoa
What's better than homemade hot chocolate? Pumpkin hot chocolate! And don't forget the Halloween Peep marshmallow!

9. Pumpkin Fudge
This pumpkin fudge is very special to us. It has a strong pumpkin flavor and was the favor at our wedding last year!

10. Slow Cooker: Pumpkin Butter
My parents are big pumpkin butter people so of course I shared some of my pumpkin butter, and they were just blown away. Made in a crockpot, it's not only delicious, but easy.

For more pumpkin recipes, click on the Index tab at the top of the page and check back to see what pumpkin recipes I come up with this year!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

Source

I have been searching and searching for a fudgy, chewy pumpkin brownie recipe for what seems like forever. Last year I made pumpkin swirl brownies. They contained cayenne pepper and were absolutely delicious. I may or may not have eaten the entire pan myself. And while I liked them plenty, they still had a more cake-like consistency than brownie. I thought I finally found one, but after reading through the comments, it was another cakey brownie. So I decide that I would just have to come up with one on my own. There is a science, a chemistry, to baking that I only kind of understand. So I looked at bunch of brownies recipes and formed my own pumpkin brownie using their proportions as a guideline. I crossed my fingers, popped it in the oven, and prayed it turned out edible. It not only turned out edible but oh-my-god good. The consistency was exactly what I had been looking for and the taste was out of this world.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sift the flour into a small bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin pie spice, salt, egg, and pumpkin puree. Gradually stir the flour into the wet ingredients and combine well. Add the chocolate chips and stir. Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the brownies are lightly browned on the edges and the center is set. Allow to cool in the pan. 

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check These Fall Recipes:  
Acorn Donuts
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Penn Casserole
Pumpkin Caramels! 

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Chocolaty, pumpkin-y, spicy, moist . . . this brownies recipe is not exactly simple, and it dirties an awful lot of dishes, but the end result makes the time and mess it makes is so worth it. The cayenne pepper adds an unexpected heat to the dessert, making it perfect for a chilly autumn day.

Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass pan with butter or cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave. To ensure you don't burn the chocolate, only microwave the chocolate for 20-30 seconds at a time, stir, then microwave again. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. In another large bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on medium until well mixed and fluffy, about three minutes. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well combined.  Pour half of the batter into another bowl.

Stir in chocolate-butter mixture into one of the bowls. Add the pumpkin, vegetable oil, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice into the second bowl of batter and stir.

Pour the chocolate batter into the greased pan and then pour the pumpkin batter on top of the chocolate layer. With a small spatula swirl the two batters together to create a marble effect, but don't swirl too much; you don't want to blend the chocolate and pumpkin batter together.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of the brownies. When it comes out clean, the dessert is done. Allow to cool and serve.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Autumn Recipes:
Acorn Donuts 
Mini Pies 
Pumpkin Bread 
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip 
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce