One of the best things about fall is the pumpkins. Of course, when people think of pumpkins, they think of pumpkin pie. But there’s so many other things you can do with pumpkin other than bake it into a pie. Below we are going to look at some of the best things you can do with pumpkin other than put it in a pie, and we’ll give you some tips on creating the perfect pumpkin pie, too.
Pumpkin Waffles
Ingredients:
- 5 Cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/3 Cup of brown sugar (light)
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon of kosher salt
- 2 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon of ground ginger
- 4 eggs
- 1 Cup of milk
- 1 Cup of buttermilk
- 1 Cup of pumpkin puree
- 6 Tablespoons of butter, melted
Preparation
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- Sift the first seven ingredients into bowl.
- In another bowl whisk your remaining ingredients.
- Whisk your dry ingredients in your liquid mixture then whisk until it’s smooth.
- Pour about ½ of a cup of your pumpkin batter into your buttered waffle iron. Cook based on the directions from manufacturer.
- Serve waffles with your syrup. You also can make them into sandwiches, filling them with cream cheese as well as other favorite toppings.
You can also freeze them. Let them cool, place them in a bag that zips shut. Label and date them, and freeze. When you’re ready to eat them, put them in your oven at 300 degrees. Heat them for around 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Donuts
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons of spice (pumpkin pie)
- 1/4 cup of softened unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 egg – large
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup of milk
Cinnamon Icing:
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of milk
Instructions for donuts
- Preheat your oven - 375 F.
- Combine your first five ingredients in a bowl. Set them aside.
- In a bowl with your hand mixer or standing mixer, cream your brown sugar and butter.
- Add your egg, milk and pumpkin puree
- Add your flour mixture.
- Mix it until it’s just combined
- Place your dough in a big zipper bag.
- Seal your bag so it’s airtight and snip ½ off of one of its corners
- Pipe your dough into a donut pan that’s been greased.
- Bake 15 minutes and let cool.
Instructions for icing
- Put all ingredients in bowl and combine with a whisk
- Drizzle your icing over your donuts and serve
Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients for Bars:
- 4 eggs (large) room temp
- 1 2/3 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of canola oil
- 15 ounces of solid pack pumpkin
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Ingredients for Icing:
- 6 ounces of softened cream cheese
- 2 cups of confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup of softened butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons of whole milk
Directions
In bowl, beat sugar, eggs, pumpkin and oil until its well blended. Combine your cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Add gradually to your pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Pour into a 15x10x1 ungreased baking pan. Break at temperature of 350 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure it’s set. Completely cool.
For your icing, beat your confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, butter and cream cheese in small bowl. Put in enough milk so you can spread it. Spread it over the bars. Store your bars in fridge.
Pumpkin Fluff
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce container of frozen whipped topping that’s been thawed
- 5 ounces of instant pudding mix – vanilla or cheesecake works best
- 1 can (15 ounces) of solid pack pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
In big bowl, mix your pudding mix, spice, and pumpkin. Then fold in your whipped topping. Put in fridge until you serve it. Tastes great with apples!
Now that we have given you some other recipes to try with pumpkin, let’s look at some tips that you can use to make a gorgeous pumpkin pie.
Don’t Use Fresh Pumpkin
A lot of people use fresh pumpkin. But if you want to have a gorgeous pie, consistency is key. A fresh pumpkin is going to vary in moisture content and size. Roasting temperature and time can change the consistency too. The best way that you can make a pie that you love all the time is by using pumpkin puree.
Choose the Right Pie Pan
Pie pans made of clear glass will let you peek and see how don your pie crust is. Not only that, it’s the best heat conductor. An aluminum pan will heat up a lot faster and might cause your pie to burn. Pans made of ceramic keep heat a lot longer which means your pie keeps on cooking.
Make Sure You Know the Crust You Want
You’ll need to decide if you’re going for a crispy, flaky crust or a chewier, denser crust. If you want one that is chewy, you can pour your filling right on your raw dough. If you want one that’s flaky, bake your crust and allow it to cool before you add your filling. Don’t poke holes into your raw crust, either. This will allow your filling to get into your crust.
Don’t Overheat Your Filling
When you do this, your custard often cracks at its top. If you want a pie that is a showstopper, it’s important to time cooking right. A traditional filling will have dairy, sugar, and eggs in it, with the pumpkin. This means that you have a pumpkin custard or pudding. Just like with all types of custards, remove your pie while there’s still some jiggle to its center. It doesn’t matter what kind of pan you’re using, it’s going to keep on cooking even after it’s out of the oven.
Let Your Pie Cool Before You Slice It
Even though warm pie seems like heaven, it’s better to allow it to cool for a few hours before you slice it up. When you cut it prematurely, you risk your pie’s contents oozing out or the whole thing collapsing. It’s best to allow it to cool for a minimum of 4 hours before you serve it. You can always nuke it briefly in your microwave if you like it warm.
Don’t Add Too Much to It
Pumpkin pie’s one of the classic options that really shouldn’t be messed with. You don’t need to add a lot of fuss to it. If you want to create something a bit more fancy, you can add some bourbon to your whipped cream or make some brittle to put on the pie’s top with the pumpkin seeds. But don’t mess with the filling.
We hope that you have enjoyed these recipes and that you have fun trying some of them. Please keep coming back and seeing what we have new in our blog. We’re always adding new things to our store, so come back often. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
