Pumpkin Desserts

Many of us, at least in the U.S., think of pumpkin desserts as autumn desserts. But with canned pumpkin, there's no reason not to have pumpkin desserts all year 'round.

To that end, here are six yummy pumpkin desserts to help you through the day, including Pumpkin Flan with Maple Caramel and Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake. Enjoy!

VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE

This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, "This is an easy homemade vegan pumpkin pie recipe. It's a quick, simple, dairy-free, and vegan version of the classic pumpkin pie recipe, using tofu as a binder instead of eggs. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Vegan pumpkin pie with tofu is perfect for a vegan Thanksgiving or Halloween, but easy enough to whip up anytime you're craving pumpkin pie.

"If you've never tried making a pie with tofu as a base, fear not. It really is super easy, super quick, and super delicious, and, believe it or not, won't actually taste the tofu at all. The tofu just serves as a base to carry all the other flavors, including the pumpkin, and those fantastic fall spices: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 75 minutes; Servings: 6 servings; Yield: 1 pie

To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-vegan-pumpkin-pie-recipe-3376760.

Ingredients

3/4 pound silken tofu

1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin puree

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1-1/2 tablespoons molasses

1 prepared pie crust

Directions

Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place the silken tofu and the pumpkin puree in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

Add in the ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, oil, vanilla, brown sugar, and molasses and process again until smooth.

Pour this mixture into a prepared pie crust.

Bake your pumpkin pie in the oven for 1 hour.

Chill before serving and top with whipped cream or non-dairy whipped cream if desired.

Tips

If your pumpkin pie still doesn't seem to want to firm up, reduce your oven temperature to about 225 F, and leave it in another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie, allow it to cool slightly then stick in the refrigerator until it is completely cool. Then, stick it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

How long have those spices been sitting in the back of your cupboard? For the most vibrant flavor, you should use fresh spices. It might be time to hit the grocery store and pick up some new and fresh cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES

This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “The sweetest pumpkin patch you ever did see.”

Total Time: 1 hour; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 - 10.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix, plus required ingredients

1 c. white chocolate chips

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

green food coloring

1 can chocolate frosting

1 c. crushed oreos

Pumpkin candies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-x-13” pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and green food coloring. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip of one corner to pipe.

Spread chocolate frosting over the brownies, then sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Using the green chocolate, pipe vines over the surface of the brownies, then scatter pumpkin candies on top of the brownies.

Slice into squares and serve.

HARVEST WALNUT PUMPKIN PIE

This comes from Allrecipes, and begins, "A walnut topping adds lovely crunch to this quick and easy spiced pumpkin pie with a hint of maple flavoring. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Servings: 8; Yield: 1 9-inch pie

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/268384/harvest-walnut-pumpkin-pie/.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can plain pumpkin puree

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon maple-flavored extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Walnut Topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter, cubed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Combine pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, maple extract, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix well and pour into the graham cracker crust. Smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking until filling is set, about 30 minutes.

Prepare walnut topping while pie is baking. Mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Cut in butter with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts.

Remove pie from the oven and cover evenly with the topping. Continue baking until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Cook's Note

Substitute an unbaked pie shell for the graham cracker crust if preferred.

PUMPKIN-CHOCOLATE SWIRL CHEESECAKE

This was in the November/December 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 70. It begins, "It took us four tries to get this recipe just right, but the result—a rich, creamy, pumpkin-flavored cheesecake laced with spice and swirled with chocolate—is truly spectacular."

Makes 24 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/pumpkin-chocolate-swirl-cheesecake/.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

2 8-oz. pkg. Neufchatel cheese, softened

2 cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup flour

1 15-oz. can pumpkin

1-1/2 Tbs. ground ginger

1-1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make Chocolate Crust:

Coat 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press into prepared pan, and bake 10 minutes.

Melt chocolate in bowl in microwave on medium power, stirring every 30 seconds to heat evenly. Set aside. Blend cottage cheese in food processor 3 minutes, until smooth. Add Neufchâtel cheese, brown sugar, eggs and flour, and process until smooth. Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, and process 1 minute, or until smooth.

Whisk 1 cup cream cheese batter into melted chocolate. Pour remaining batter into crust. Spoon dollops of chocolate mixture onto batter, and swirl with knife.

Bake cheesecake 1 & 1/2 hours, or until top is firm and cake is beginning to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely on wire rack, then chill well before unmolding and serving.

PUMPKIN FLAN WITH MAPLE CARAMEL

This yumminess comes from The Barefoot Contessa (otherwise known as Ina Garten). Serves 8 - 10; level: beginner

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

for the caramel:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup pure Grade A maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel

for the pumpkin flan:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1/2 cup (4 ounces) Italian mascarpone

4 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure maple extract, such as Boyajian

2 teaspoons grated orange zest (2 oranges)

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the caramel, combine the sugar, maple syrup, and 1/3 cup water in a small, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, swirling the pan (don’t stir!) to dissolve the sugar. Cook at a low boil without stirring for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture turns a golden brown and registers 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn! Off the heat, swirl in the fleur de sel, and immediately pour into an 8 × 2-inch round cake pan (not a springform!). Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, canned pumpkin, and mascarpone in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, maple extract, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gently pour the pumpkin mixture into the pan with the caramel so they don’t combine.

Place the pan in a roasting pan large enough to hold the cake pan flat and fill the roasting pan with enough of the hottest tap water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 70 to 75 minutes, until the custard is just set. It will be firm but still jiggle slightly in the middle; a knife inserted into the center of the flan will come out clean. Remove the flan from the water bath, place on a cooling rack, and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Don’t tilt the pan or the caramel will run out!

Run a small knife around the edge of the flan. Turn a flat serving plate with a slight lip over the cake pan and flip them, turning the flan out onto the plate. The caramel should run out over the flan. Cut into wedges and serve with the caramel spooned over each slice.

PUMPKIN ICE CREAM FREEZE

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Serves 8

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups ginger snap cookies, crushed, about 25 cookies

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Mix the first 3 ingredients, holding back 1/4 cup of the crumbs, in a bowl. Press the mixture into a 8x5 inch baking dish and set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour over the crust. Freeze overnight.

Serve with the reserved crumbs on top and maybe add some chopped nuts.

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