Pumpkin Pie With a Twist

I've been hungry for pumpkin pie for a month or more, so this past weekend, I finally baked one to quell my craving.

If you are making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner, consider this recipe. It is delicious. Maybe one of the best pumpkin pies I have ever eaten. What makes it so delicious? How about some eggnog in place of the usual evaporated milk. Give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Spiced Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

1 9" pie shell
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 1/4 cups eggnog
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all the ingredients together and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45-50 minutes longer or until done. Let cool. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!

Notes:
*I just used a basic shortening pie crust, but I grated some nutmeg into the flour to give it an extra boost of flavor and to tie in with the eggnog theme.
*I also used half brown sugar and half white, because I always do that with pumpkin pies.
*Since it was on sale at the grocery store, I used Southern Comfort Spiced Vanilla Eggnog.
*And, I did not eat the whole thing myself. I shared.

What's For Breakfast? Cheddar-Pumpkin Muffins

It's been cold here in Colorado this week. Really cold. So, accordingly, I've been doing lots of cold weather things such as snuggling under warm blankets, watching Christmas movies, drinking lots of hot tea, and baking.

A couple of mornings ago I made some delicious cheddar-pumpkin muffins for breakfast. I found this recipe in a cookbook called Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. They aren't your typical muffins, they have more of a biscuit consistency, but their slight sweetness, countered with a kick from some pepper make them worth trying.

Pumpkin-Cheddar Muffins
1 cup pumpkin
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 oz grated cheddar cheese

Whisk pumpkin and sour cream. Add eggs and butter. Whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in 3/4 of the cheese. Divide among muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Let sit for 10 min before removing from tin. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

It's Fall!

Today is my favorite day of the year: the first day of fall. In honor of the day, I baked some pumpkin-banana bread.

I never knew the two could be combined, but they can, and together they make a beautiful loaf of bread.

 

Pumpkin-Banana Bread

 

1/2 cup sugar

1 large banana, mashed

3/4 cup oil

1 cup pumpkin

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

 

Mix sugar, banana, oil, pumpkin, and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients until just mixed. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool before slicing.

 

Note: I thought this recipe might need a little more flavor, so I added a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the batter. It's a nice addition.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

There's a recipe going around like crazy on Pinterest for pumpkin snickerdoodles. Of course I had to try it.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of snickerdoodles, but I embrace them for two reasons. First,  the name is just so fun. Say it. Out loud. Snickerdoodle. :) Here's a fun fact: according to The Joy of Cooking, the name probably comes from the German word schneckennudeln which translates at crinkly noodles. Who knew?

The second reason I like snickerdoodles is that they are the only thing I recall my dad baking over the years. Not very often, but from time to time he will make a batch for me or my sister. Isn't that sweet?

So, on to the pumpkin flavored ones.

Here is the recipe.

For the cookies:
3 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

For the coating
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
dash allspice
*or, you can do like I did and just use sugar and a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together to blend. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Beat until combined, but don't over mix. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Roll into balls then roll in coating mixture. Flatten with a glass dipped in coating mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Slightly cool before removing from the pan.

 

 

 

These smelled really nice while baking, and I was eager to taste them. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed in the texture as they are a bit more cakey than I would like. But that always seems to be an issue with cookies made from pumpkin. I'm glad I baked them, but probably won't ever make them again. I think I'll save my pumpkin for pie.