Pumpkins aren’t just for carving anymore. Behind that eerie jack-o’-lantern smile, the pumpkin’s savory-sweet juice can be the ingredient that takes an everyday dish into the autumn season. And with Halloween on its way, you can forget the candy and enjoy some pumpkin-flavored treats that are perfect for the occasion.

Pumpkin pancakes

Who doesn’t like to wake up to the smell of golden stacks? Pumpkin pancakes have their own distinctive, golden glow, and every crispy but fluffy bite is rich with a punch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a smooth pumpkin finish.

What you’ll need:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

The process:

Mix all the dry ingredients — flour, sugar, baking powder and spices — in a large bowl. Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, butter and egg in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients. Butter up a skillet, pour in the batter and cook each side for about three minutes. Top it off with walnuts if you like them, syrup and butter.

-Recipe courtesy of sweetpeaskitchen.com

Pumpkin scones

On a cold fall day there is nothing more enjoyable than curling up with a warm cup of coffee or tea and a buttery scone. No need to head down to your favorite cafe; these pumpkin scones are delicious, satisfying and surprisingly easy to make.

What you’ll need:

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

1 large egg

 

For the glaze:

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

The process:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the pumpkin puree, yogurt and egg in one bowl and in a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Take the frozen butter and grate it into the dry ingredients — I didn’t have a grater so I used an apple peeler, or you can just shave off pieces with a butter knife. Once everything is mixed well, combine the two bowls. Using your hands, mold the ingredients until everything comes together and you have a ball of dough. Flour a clean, smooth surface and pound out the dough until it’s a circle about three-fourths of an inch thick and then cut it up into small triangles like a pizza. Bake on a buttered baking sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.

While it’s baking, blend together the ingredients for the glaze, making sure the cream cheese is very soft, or else it will be chunky. I didn’t have pure maple syrup, so I used pancake syrup and it was just as delicious.

-Recipe courtesy of somethewiser.danoah.com

Mini pumpkin cheesecakes

After a big meal there’s nothing wrong with craving something sweet. These bite-sized cheesecakes have every texture and flavor your taste buds could want in just one bite. The crisp crust, soft cream cheese cake and airy whipped cream are so gratifying it’s hard to have just one.

What you’ll need:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or allspice)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

 

For the crust:

8 gingersnap cookies

1 graham cracker

1 1/2 tablespoon melted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans

Pinch of salt

The process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter in a mini cupcake tin — or you can use a normal-sized tin, depending on what you have. Take all the ingredients for the crust, except the melted butter, and put them through a food processor or blender until they’re the consistency of slightly course crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine with melted butter, mix until all the bread crumbs are moist and press them into the base of each cupcake hole. The recipe recommends baking the crusts for 10 minutes, but depending on how strong your oven is, I would recommend only baking them for five. While the crusts bake, use a hand mixer to beat together cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin puree until smooth, and then add spices, vanilla, heavy cream and egg until just combined. Pour the filling on top of the crusts when ready and bake for another 20 minutes.

Don’t worry — your cheesecakes will collapse when you pull them out of the oven, but that provides a nice, even surface for whipped cream. You can make your own by whipping together heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, or just buy some from the store

-Recipe courtesy of stephenandnat.blogspot.com

Published on October 7, 2012 at 11:45 pm

Contact Danielle: dmodiama@syr.edu | @daniemarieodie