Category: Holidays

Aah, pumpkin.  The word alone conjures thoughts of cool evening air and warm cozy homes, of rich jewel-toned colors and a feeling of being safely gathered in.  And baking.  These pumpkin dessert squares are another simple yet favorite pumpkin recipe.  They’re quick to make and always taste moist and yummy.  I’ve found it’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand in case I need to make something last minute, and the layers make it seem fancier than it really is.  Because it uses a cake mix the prep is fast and easy to understand, making it a great recipe for kids to help with or manage on their own.


Pumpkin Dessert Squares Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix 3/4 cup butter, divided 1 cup pumpkin 2 tsp. cinnamon, divided 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 3 eggs 3 Tb. milk 1 Tb. flour 1/4 cup sugar Reserve one cup cake mix and set aside.

Mix remaining cake mix with 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1 egg.  Press mixture lightly into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.


In another bowl, mix pumpkin, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, and remaining spices together.  Add 2 eggs and 3 Tb. milk and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.  Pour over cake mixture in pan.


Combine reserved cake mix with 1 Tb. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup softened butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the pumpkin layer.


Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden.


Cool completely before serving.  Slice into squares and enjoy!


I hope you’re enjoying this Thanksgiving season.  What a wonderful time of year it is!  And if you love pumpkin flavored baking at this time of year, click here for a list of favorite pumpkin recipes.

Jennifer

This dessert is a hybrid of three different recipes.   Gratefully, it came together as I hoped it would.  It’s a no-bake cheesecake with gingersnap crust, cheesecake layer, and pumpkin layer.  It looks pretty and tastes rich and delicious.

If you don’t want to bake at all, pick up a graham cracker crust from the store.  I think it would also taste good, but I prefer the way the dark brown crust looks with the pumpkin color, and the gingersnap taste adds the perfect touch.

Here we go.


For the crust you’ll need:

1.5 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs 3 Tb. sugar 1 tsp. ground ginger 6 Tb. melted butter In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs, sugar and ginger.  Add melted butter and stir to combine.  Press into 9 inch pie pan and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.


Next comes the cheesecake layer.  You will need:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 Tb. lemon juice 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk 3/4 cup cool whip In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.  Fold in cool whip.  Spread over cooled gingersnap crust.


Last comes the pumpkin layer which is basically an adaptation of this pumpkin dip recipe .

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin 1 (5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/3 cup raw sugar 8 oz. cool whip Mix together pumpkin and pudding.  Add spices.  Fold in cool whip and then stir in raw sugar.  Spread over cheesecake layer.  Refrigerate 2 hours.  Slice and serve.


YUM.  It’s fun to experiment.  We loved the way the layers look together, and the combination of flavors in each bite.


Hope you love it!
Hopeful Homemaker