Incredible Pumpkin Desserts

So Many Yummy Ways to Use Pumpkin

When many of us think pumpkins we don’t think of sweet and mouth-watering desserts, but truth be told pumpkins can make for delicious and moist cakes, pies, and cookies.

Below we explore some of our favorite desserts using pumpkin as a base and teamed up many times with one of our favorite ingredients–chocolate!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Two of our favorite ingredients, pumpkin and chocolate chips whipped together in one amazingly moist and decadent pumpkin cake. This cake can be made up as a sheet cake, bundt cake or as pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes. The following recipe makes a 8′ x 8″ square cake, with the recipe doubled it will make a two-layer cake or a 13″ x 9″ sheet cake.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or substitute 2 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup milk

1 cup small chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree F. Spay or use shortening to grease pan and dust with flour or line with parchment.
2. Whisk together the butter, sugars, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla or brandy in a large mixing bowl till all ingredients are well blended.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice.
4. Stir in half the flour mixture into the blended wet ingredients, then milk and remaining flour. Mix just enough to blend, fold in the chocolate chips as the last step.
5. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula.bake the cake until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, approximately 55-60 minutes depending on your oven and pans chosen
6. Let the cake cool and invert onto a cooling rack.
7. Cut your cake in squares and wrap the leftovers in foil and insert into a plastic bag and refrigerate if you won’t be eating the remainder of the cake for a few days. This cake is also a great cake to freeze, defrost and have as a treat later.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Everyone from Betty Crocker to your best friends’s grandma in the south has a recipe for pumpkin cookies of some type. Many pumpkin cookies are chewy and need no extra eggs because the pumpkin acts like eggs in the recipe. But–if you want a melt in your mouth soft pumpkin cookie, nothing beats homemade, do read on!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened or appropriate amount of olive oil

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter softened

4 ounces cream cheese softened

1 teaspoon brandy or vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. These cake-like cookies tend to stick so liners work better than shortening and flour-this tends to over brown the bottoms.
2. In a large bowl beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until creamy.
3. Add 3/4 cup sugar and the 3/4 brown sugar and beat for about 1 minute until fluffy.
4. Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
5. Add the brandy or vanilla extract and 1 egg. Beat until combined.
6. Add the flour to the bowl but do not mix yet.
7. Make a well in the center of the flour and add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
8. Use a small spoon to stir the ingredients into the flour only.
9. Now use your mixer to combine the dry and wet ingredients. Mix only till combined, don’t over mix the dough.
10. Use 2 spoons to drop the dough onto the baking surface of the lined cookie sheet. Leave about 2 inches between cookies for spread.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes or until they are tall and puffed.
12. Let the cookies cool and set in the pan for about 5 minutes.
13. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cookies continue to cool while you make the Cream Cheese Icing.

Cream Cheese Icing Directions:

1. In large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. With the mixer still processing add in the vanilla extract or brandy, cinnamon, and almond extract, once mixed beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Spread the Cream Cheese Icing on your cooled Pumpkin Spice Cookies.

Enjoy these mouth-watering Pumpkin Spice Cookies iced with Cream Cheese Icing and also our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake recipe. We took some ideas from our grandma’s recipe cards and some of favorite online recipe sources and then tried these ideas in our test kitchen with our family as willing testers. Great afternoon snack with coffee or tea or a wonderful dessert to serve after dinner. Be sure to shop Tastealotta for all your olive oil needs. Olive makes a great substitute for baking instead of butter!