Pumpkin Cobbler

I pinned this recipe a while back and finally made it right before Thanksgiving.  It's kind of like a Hot Fudge Sundae Cake, only instead of chocolate it's made of pumpkin and spice.  Oh, this is amazing!  I was seriously tempted to make this instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  It's that good.

I ended up making a pumpkin pie and those yummy Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars instead, but I just may have to make this next year.  And a time or two between now and then, of course.  It's really simple to make, using ingredients you probably already have on hand, and so good.

Pumpkin Cobbler
from Lauren's latest

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 T milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• topping:
  * 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  * 1/2 cup brown sugar
  * 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  * 1-1/2 cups very hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and vanilla together.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices and stir into wet ingredients to create a thick batter. 
3. Pour into a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish with high sides.
4. In a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans together. Spread evenly over the top of the batter. Pour hot water over the top.  Do not stir.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the middle is set. {Be sure to place on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over.} 
6. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

It looks like an ordinary cake when you pull it out of the oven, but just wait until you scoop some of it out of the baking dish!  Hiding under that cake is a rich, amazing syrup.

It's really good nice and hot straight out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream on top - and then some of the syrup spooned over the top.  It's also very, very good the next day - cold with some whipped cream on top.  I think it might be even better.

Be sure to let me know how you like it.

Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars

There are four groups in the Secret Recipe Club, and we each post once a month.  When there's an extra Monday in the month, we get an extra themed reveal, should we choose to participate. We have an extra Monday this month, and the theme is Holiday Treats.

I had the privilege of browsing Erin's blog Making Memories with your kids in search of some yummy treats.  Erin has made it especially easy to find her holiday treats, because she has a special holiday category with choices for holidays throughout the year.  With Thanksgiving this month, I went straight for the Thanksgiving page where I found these yummy looking Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars.  These absolutely adorable Turkey Cookies look like a lot of fun, too.  They definitely fit with the theme of Erin's blog, because it is full of kid-friendly meals, recipes, and crafts.  Erin and her two amazing kids have made some fun and yummy treats as well as some very cool crafts.  Quite simply, if you are looking for fun things to do with your kids, you will most definitely want to check out this blog!

Some other recipes I thought would be perfect for Thanksgiving were:

• Pumpkin Pie cookie bites
• Pumpkin Pound Cake
• German Chocolate Brownie Bites

But I went back to the Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars.  I have tried another recipe for pumpkin pie bars in the past, but it was never as good as I thought it should be.  I thought this one just might be what I was hoping that other recipe was, and it definitely was.  So good!

Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars
adapted from Making Memories with your kids

Ingredients:

• For the crumb layers:
  * 1-1/4 cups flour
  * 1-1/2 cups quick oats
  * 1/2 tsp. salt
  * 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  * 1/4 cup sugar
  * 1/2 cup brown sugar
  * 3/4 cup melted butter
  * 1 tsp. vanilla
• For the filling:
  * 2 eggs
  * 3/4 cup sugar
  * 1 tsp. cinnamon
  * 1/2 tsp. salt
  * 1/2 tsp. ginger
  * 1/4 tsp. cloves
  * 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
  * 1 (12 oz.)  can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 11x7" pan; set aside.
2. Mix flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and sugars together.  Mix in melted butter and vanilla.
3. Press half of the crumb mixture into prepared pan; bake for 15 minutes.
4. While that bakes, prepare filling by beating eggs in a large bowl and then adding sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves.  Mix well and then stir in pumpkin; add evaporated milk and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour filling over partially baked crust and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and crumble the rest of the crumb mixture over the top.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 25-35 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and center is set..
7. Cool at least 1 hour at room temperature and an additional hour in the refrigerator before serving.  Cut and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

I was planning to follow Erin's recipe and make this in a 13x9" pan, but I ended up with my 4 glass 13x9"  pans full - 2 with turkey and 2 with rolls - so I had to come up with an alternative plan.  I cut the crust recipe in half and just used my regular pumpkin pie filling recipe - the recipe from the Libby's pumpkin can, but you can use your favorite pumpkin pie filling recipe.  I think it turned out great.

The crust and crumb layer on top are amazingly good.  The crunch, texture and flavor are absolutely perfect.  Once the dessert has been covered and refrigerated, it loses a bit of the original crunch - why do things have to do that? - but it's still really, really good.  I'd say this is an excellent alternative to pumpkin pie.  The crumb layers kick it up a notch, it can more easily be cut into smaller pieces and serve more people, and it's easy to make.  If you think you can't make a pie crust, this recipe is definitely one you should try.  I'm not sure I'll ever stop making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but I'm definitely thinking I'll be replacing one of the pies I usually make with a pan of these Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars from now on.
 

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving filled with people you love and had some yummy treats of your own!

An InLinkz Link-up

Jacked Up Pumpkin Butter

It's time again for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Searching for Dessert. Shannon believes baking should be fun and even the most simple recipes can come out beautiful and amazing.  I have to tell you, her recipes really do look beautiful and amazing.  All of them.  As always, I had a hard time choosing.

Here are some that caught my eye:

• Black Bean Breakfast Burritos - with or without enchilada sauce, these look amazing.
• Warm and Crusty Garlic Boule - you had me at crusty! and garlic.
• Apple Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches - Snickerdoodles and apple pie ice cream?  Oh, wow!

I finally decided to try this Pumpkin Pecan Bourbon Butter because it's the season for all things pumpkin, right?  Only, instead of bourbon I added some Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.  We're kind of a Jack Daniel's house around here.  And I used orange juice instead of apple.

Jacked Up Pumpkin Butter
adapted from Searching for Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons Jack Daniel's (or apple juice)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons orange juice

Directions:

1. Lightly toast the pecans in an oven or skillet until fragrant, 2-3 minutes, cool slightly. Scoop the pumpkin into a food processor and add the remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth.
2. Place the pumpkin mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble, stirring frequently.  Cook until mixture thickens.
3. Serve pumpkin butter warm, or refrigerate for later use.

Makes 2 cups

I'd never made pumpkin butter before, so this was a new experience for me.  It was really good on some fresh-baked whole grain sourdough bread, and on that same bread toasted.  I gave my grandson some, and he pretty much licked the pumpkin butter off the toast and wanted more - so I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement.

I am thinking that the only thing I'll change next time I make it, is to add some ginger and nutmeg too, just to give it more of that pumpkin pie flavor.  I need to make some biscuits, too.  I bet this would be great on biscuits.  I keep thinking of new things I can spread it on!

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

I cooked a pumpkin last week and used part of it in this chili.

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. hamburger
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 t. dried parsley flakes
• 2 t. chili powder
  
• 1-1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1-1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1 can (15-oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15-oz.) red beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. In 6-quart pan, brown hamburger with onion, pepper, and garlic; drain fat if necessary.  Add spices.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer until heated through and flavors have blended. (1 to 1-1/2 hours on low heat)

Serve hot.

The original recipe was supposed to be meatless, using soy crumbles, but I didn't have anything like that, so I used hamburger.  Ground turkey would probably be good in this too.  I made some cornbread muffins to go with it.  My husband just put crackers in his.

I've never used pumpkin in chili before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  It adds a richness and a thickness to the chili, but you really don't taste pumpkin.  So why put pumpkin in chili?    Any ideas?  I'm thinking it's a good way to get some extra nutrition into your soup.  Pumpkin - it's not just for pies!

Related articles

• Vegan Pumpkin Black Bean Chili (absolutelyravenous.wordpress.com)
• More pumpkin. More soup. More yum. (evaskitschenart.wordpress.com)