Pumpkin Dump Cake

• 1 can (15.5oz) pumpkin
• 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 package yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Grease and flour, or spray with baking spray with flour, 9X13 pan. In a bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar salt and pumpkin spice. Pour into prepared pan. Gently sprinkle the cake mix powder over the pumpkin mixture and top with chopped pecans. Drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix/pecan layer. Bake 50 minutes if the topping it's getting too brown after 30 minutes cook time, cover with foil for the remaining bake time. Remove from oven. Make sure you remove the foil if you've used it. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Puree - From Scratch

Roasting:
Gather and wash sugar pumpkins (the kind for baking, not jack-o-lantern making) These are usually smaller in size and darker in color.

• Preheat oven to 425º F 
  
• Slice off stem, then cut in half.  
• Remove the stringy innards and seeds. (Set aside to roast pumpkin seeds later)
• Lightly coat jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with edges) with spray, coconut oil. (I use a small amount of coconut oil on a paper towel to do this) or parchment paper. **
• Turn pumpkins upside down (flesh down / skin up) on the pan.  
• Place in center of oven to Roast. 
• Pumpkins are done when a knife can be inserted through the thickest part easily. Check after 1 hour. If they are not yet done check in 10 minute increments for another half hour.

Preparing Puree:

• Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to be worked with. 
• At this point the skin will peel off easily.  Remove skin and put soft flesh into a large bowl.
•  Puree with food processor or immersion blender until smooth.  

Use puree immediately or choose to prepare it for storage. I highly recommend an immersion blender for this type of process but if you don't have one a food processor works just as well. You simply have to plan on doing the pureeing in batches rather than everything all at once.

Storage:

• I choose to freeze mine so I place my freezer bag into a cup, folding edges over the side.  
• With a one cup dry measure I place 2 cups of pumpkin puree in each bag.  
• Ziploc all but one corner of the top of the bag. 
• Lay it flat on the table. 
• Press puree evenly in the bag until all air is removed and bag lays flat with puree filling entire bag. 
• Ziploc the corner and place flat into freezer. 

Thaw pumpkin in sieve to drain off excess water from freezing before use.

**Notice I do not add water to the roasting process. This is because most small sugar pumpkins (the best kind for puree) have plenty of water in them already. I find I get a really good consistency using the dry method roasting process and it saves me the step of having to drain the puree'd pumpkin through cheese cloth before storing.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 2 teaspoons melted butter
  
• 1 generous pinch of kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups raw pumpkin seeds

Clean seeds from pumpkins. Rinse and remove all pumpkin strings. Let dry thoroughly. Mix with melted butter and salt. Adjust the butter and salt depending on how many seeds you have to roast.
For seasoned seeds use various kinds of salt or spices.  If you like them spicy try Cajun or Chili season. If you like them sweet try a cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place in single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 300°F oven, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutty Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1¼ Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
  
• 1/4 Cup ground walnuts
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

Mix all ingredients until coated with butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a sprayed 9" spring foam pan. Put into refrigerator to chill while making filling.

Filling:

• 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
• 14 0unce can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
• 15 ounce can pumpkin or 2 cups fresh processed
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300°F. In large bowl cream cheese until fluffy. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, scrape sides often to make sure the mixture stays creamy. Add pumpkin, eggs, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until well blended. Pour into chilled spring foam pan. Place a cake pan ¼ filled with water on the rack below center (this helps keep it from cracking badly). Place cheese cake on center rack. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes. Cheesecake is done when edge springs back when touched. Center will be slightly soft. Cool slowly and completely before removing side of pan. Chill in refrigerator. Top with whip cream and a sprinkling of ground walnuts.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups loosely packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 15oz can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups home made pumpkin puree)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or 1 cup craisins or raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and Flour two loaf pans (or spray with baking pam) and set aside.
In large bowl whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a medium bowl add pumpkin puree, oil, apple sauce, maple syrup and water. Whisk until well blended.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula fold them together until well incorporated making sure to get all the flour mixture bits off the bottom of the bowl. Fold in most of the optional ingredients reserving some to put on top of  the loaf before baking.
Divide the dough between two greased loaf pans and sprinkle with reserved optional ingredients.
Bake on center rack of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven to rack. Let cool 20 minutes before inverting bread onto a cooling rack. 

Pumpkin Bread

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 – 15 oz can pumpkin
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 ½ cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin Pie season (or 1 tablespoon cinnamon & 1 tablespoon nutmeg)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or 1/2 cup craisins or raisins (Optional)

Grease and flour two large, three small or 8 mini loaf pans.
In a small bowl combine dry ingredients; flour, salt, spices, baking soda.
In a large bowl combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water and eggs beating until smooth.
Add dry ingredients mixing just until combined.
Fold in optional ingredients.
Fill pans ¼ to ¾ of the way full.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. (check at 45 minutes for mini pans)
Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Topping:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (all purpose is fine too)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

Mix dry ingredients until well combined.
Cut in the butter until crumbly.
Toss in toasted pecans if desired.
Set aside.

Cake:

• 2 cups flour ( I use 1 cup whole wheat + 1 cup all purpose)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 can (15oz) pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Butter & flour a 9"X13" cake pan (or spray with baking spray).
Combine first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside.
In large bowl combine oil, apple sauce, pumpkin, vanilla and sugars until well mixed.
Whisk in eggs.
Add flour to wet mixture stirring only until combined.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Sprinkle with reserved topping.
Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Cool.