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 Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries

So I've been trying to not go too crazy with pumpkin recipes this year. Eric loves pumpkin, but I wear him out on it every fall. So this year I'm trying to be good. How good, we'll see. But I have been wanting to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies for some time now. Threw in some white chocolate chips and dried cranberries (I love dried cranberries) for good measure and came up with a pumpkin cookie that even Eric couldn't say no to (he also did not want to share them).

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups flour
2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Add in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Combine well and set aside.

In another large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Drop a rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn a light brown.

Meet Arya, my little helper and crumb catcher and new member of our family.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Fudge

It's autumn and that means it's time for everything pumpkin! Since we had an autumn wedding, I had to have pumpkin something--other than the centerpieces. So along with puppy chow and homemade sea salt caramels, I made pumpkin fudge for our Treat or Trick favor bags. This fudge is super pumpkin-y but not super sweet and that's exactly what I loved about it.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
7-ounce jar marshmallow fluff
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8x8-inch pan with waxed paper and grease with cooking spray.

In a saucepan, heat evaporated milk and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and bring mixture back to a boil. Stir in butter and marshmallow fluff and once again bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, mixture to 232 degrees F on the candy thermometer.

Once the mixture reaches 232 degrees, remove from heat. Add the chips and vanilla extract. Stir until all the chips are melted and the mixture is creamy. Pour into prepared pan. Allow the fudge to cool, remove it from the pan, and cut. Store fudge in a cool, dry place.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes!
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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