Pumpkin Pie

When Bake at 350 announced that the Flavor of the Month for October was pumpkin, I was excited. I thought of all of the pumpkin goodies I could make and thought "Oh this one is easy!" Turns out, I lost all of my good thoughts this week and was clueless on what to make. Then, it hit me. Stick with the classic. Stick with the one pumpkin dessert we've all had and we probably all grew up with.

Pumpkin Pies can be tricky. Some pies don't have enough spice. Some pies have too much spice. Some come out salty, but when you get the right pumpkin pie, it's heaven. This recipe is one that is just right. It has the right amount of spices but doesn't let the pumpkin get overshadowed.

Good thing is, Brian doesn't really go for pumpkin pie, so it's allllllllll mine. :) I know what I'm having for breakfast this weekend! :)

Classic Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Food Network

One 15-ounce can unsweetened pure pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 package refrigerated pie crust (or your favorite pie crust recipe)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place one pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan and trim the edges.

In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, half-and-half, and spices until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350 and bake 40-50 more minutes.

If doing decorative cut-outs like I used, cut those out in your remaining pie shell. Place on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Bake for the last 15 minutes of the pie's cooking time.

Printable Version

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Here are some other pumpkin desserts I've made:
Pumpkin Dessert Squares
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Check out the other entries into the Flavor of the Month:

Pumpkin Dessert Squares

Isn't fall the greatest season of the year? The leaves start to turn, there's a crispness in the air, football season starts back up, there's pumpkins EVERYWHERE. Candles that smell like apple cider and cinnamon start to come back into stores. It starts to get dark earlier. And let's face it - sweaters, scarves, and jackets are so much cuter and easier to pull off than summer clothes. Especially if you've eaten a few of these dessert squares, then you need all the extra fabric you can get.

While these cook in your oven, your house will smell like Thanksgiving. Not quite the turkey/dressing aspect because that would be totally weird, but the cinnamon, sugar and pumpkin that comes with the holidays. Brian had two squares and made a new rating scale for it. He said it was a "Make again Tomorrow!"

I highly recommend you click the link for the Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter. It's totally worth buying and really makes this dessert. Stock up before fall is up!

Pumpkin Dessert Squares
Source: a Williams-Sonoma store in Jackson, MS

1 box yellow cake mix, 1 cup reserved
1/2 cup melted butter
3 large eggs
1/8 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine remaining cake mix with melted butter and one egg. Mix well. Press mixture lightly into a 9x13 pan.

Mix with a whisk the Pecan Pumpkin Butter with 2 eggs and milk. Pour over cake mixture.

Mix reserved cake mix with flour, sugar, cinnamon and softened butter. Spread crumble mixture over pumpkin layer.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

Printable version

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello Fall!!! I've missed you! Although, the temperatures are back to the upper 80's with humidity off the charts (stupid Mother Nature), it's after Labor Day, which means fall!

Fall is, by far, my favorite season. There's a crispness in the air, cooler temperatures, beautiful leaves, college football (Go Hogs!), pumpkins, the holidays coming up...I could go on! In order to welcome fall, I had to bake. After the pumpkin creme brulee I made, I had to make something else with pumpkin. Enter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

YUM.

I ate five without blinking. Brought them to work the next day and they were gone before I knew it. I halved the recipe because my self-control isn't strong enough to protect me from 60 cookies. For those stronger than me, I've posted the full recipe. If you love pumpkin bread, you'll love these cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: The Food Network

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

So Jade and I are at it again. You may remember when we both made sugar cookies. This time we're trying creme brulee.

Recently, we've had a nice run of really, really cool temperatures. It's like an early glimpse of fall, which is my favorite season. For it to be cooler than 80 degrees in August in Arkansas, that's saying something. So with the spurt of cooler temperatures, I'm ready for all things fall. Razorback football games, Thanksgiving, and especially things with pumpkin in it.

When I saw this recipe for Emeril's Pumpkin Creme Brulee, I had to have it. Now. Problem is, most of my stores don't carry pumpkin or if they do, it's in giant cans. Never fear. I've put the remaining pumpkin mixture into small ziploc bags and stuck them in the freezer so that I can have pumpkin whenever I want!

Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Source: Emeril Lagasse

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar, plus 4 teaspoons
8 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Arrange 8 (1/2-cup) ramekins or custard cups in a large metal baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy and lemon-colored. Slowly add 3/4 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream, and whisk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin, and whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Divide among the prepared custard cups.

Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custards are just set in the center but not stiff, 45 minutes to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle each custard with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining sugar. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. (Alternately, preheat the broiler, and broil until the sugar melts and caramelizes, watching closely to avoid burning and rotating the cups, about 1 to 2 minutes.) Place on small dessert plates and serve.

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I really enjoyed making the creme brulee. It was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. Plus it was a really easy recipe to half since I can't be trusted with 8 little creme brulees running around.

Be sure to check out Jade at The Mess Pot to see her creme brulee!