Pumpkin Bread

My friend shared this bread with me when my grandmother passed away.  I borrowed her cookbook Treasury of Christmas Recipes, and copied the recipe, keeping her addition of the chocolate chunks.

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, chocolate at end; beat until well mixed.  Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Bake in preheated 350* oven 45-55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.  Loosen edges; remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Pumpkin Delight

This recipe is so easy and so good, I serve it at Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie!  It has been passed around my family so much, I'm not sure where it originally came from.

Pumpkin Delight

1 yellow cake mix
1 30 oz can of pumpkin pie mix (NOT plain pumpkin)
2 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter (melt in measuring cup for easy pouring)
1 cup chopped pecans (or any nut you prefer)

Mix pumpkin and eggs, pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Top with dry cake mix.  Pour butter evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Spiced Pumpkin Squares

This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. I've made it a bunch of times. Particularly tasty in fall, but good any time of the year. The book describes them as a brownie, but they seem a bit more cake like than brownie to me. I generally eat them plain, but if you want to dress them up, a bit of whipped cream is perfect!

Pumpkin mixture:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cooked pumpkin puree (I use canned and use the other portion for other pumpkin recipes)

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I generally leave the nuts out, good either way)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and dust with flour.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and well blended. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla and the pumpkin puree and continue to beat until thoroughly mixed. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and allspice and stir them into the pumpkin mixture to form a smooth batter. Fold in the chopped walnuts by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.