Baking with Fresh Pumpkin
I started growing my own pumpkins from seed last summer and by October I had many pumpkins for Halloween! Needless to say, it is mid January and I still have a few left so I decided to make my first pie and chocoate chip cookies using my fresh pumpkin puree.
My kids just love pumpkin deserts so my little Cole was very interested in what I was doing. It sounds like such an undertaking making your own pumpkin puree when in fact it was quite simple.
I have read that the sugar pie pumkins are some of the most flavorful pumpkins. I didn’t grow that variety this year so I cooked my Cinderella pumpkin instead and it was delicious!
All I did was cut the pumpkin in half, removed the stringing pulp and all of the seeds. (Don’t forget to put the seeds aside to roast them later) Once the pumpkin was cleaned, I laid the halves on a foil lined cookie sheet and covered them with foil. I baked them at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
My little helper made sure it was ready by putting a fork in it. It should feel just like a baked potato when it is done.
Once cooled, I scooped out the insides.
This is what the pumpkin looked like before I pureed it.
I pureed it in my food processor until smooth.
And this is what it looks like. Creamy and delicious! I did it and so can you!
It was so easy! Pumpkin puree can be frozen for months so use what you need and freeze the rest for a later date. If you know how much pumpkin puree your next recipe takes, you can freeze it in the desire amounts. Freeze and enjoy!
Here are my baked goodies! Well, the cookies and pies didn’t last long…….. I guess I will just have to make more! I made 2 pies and 2 batches of cookies with my one pumpkin. Here are the recipes below. Enjoy.
Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter,softened
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups of milk chocolate chips and parchment paper
Directions
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the white and brown sugars a little at a time until the mixture is light and fluffy. One at a time add the eggs and beat. Then mix the vanilla and the fresh pumpkin puree. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves together. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low. Fold in the chips. Make heaping tablespoons of cookie dough and place onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown…. (I cooked mine for exactly 14 minutes so it depends on your oven. ) Remove the cookies from oven and let them rest on baking rack. Enjoy they are scrumptious!!!!
Creamy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of fresh pumpkin puree
- 1 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 – 9 inch pie pan and ready made pie crust.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a large bowl combine pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix with a wire whisk until thouroughly blended. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Set on a baking rack and cool then serve. Yum, yum this recipe is truly delicious!
