Pumpkin recipes abound in CCJ files

It’s pumpkin time. And in 11 years of recipes submitted to The Journal by cooks all over Calhoun County and beyond, more of those than remembered, contain pumpkin.
Some might substitute pumpkin for sweet potato in a dish, especially for the upcoming Sweet Potato Cooking Contest, but even if pumpkin is not a favorite, this variety of recipes might be worth a try just as they are.
The one recipe exception to pumpkin is Bebe Maxwell’s Fall Delight, which contains sweet potatoes. This recipe was too appropriate time-wise not to include.
But if you’re one of those who doesn’t follow a recipe exactly, it might be the time try pumpkin instead of sweet potato!

Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Cake
Charlotte Hill
1 spice cake mix
1-16 oz. can pumpkin or sweet potatoes
3 eggs
1/4 cup softened butter
Cream cheese frosting
1/3 cup or more (to your liking) caramel ice cream topping
Peach halves for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour three 9” round cake pans. Combine cake mix, pumpkin or potatoes, eggs and butter in bowl. Beat two minutes. Divide batter among three pans. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool five minutes on wire racks. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Pour caramel ice cream topping over top of cake. Garnish with pecan halves. (If you use store bought cream cheese frosting, it will take 1 1/2 tubs (16 oz. each)

Pumpkin Sin Cake
Erica Griffin
1 box yellow cake mix (mix to directions)
1 small can pumkpin puree
1 tub Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel sauce
1 bag Heath bar bits
Mix cake according to box directions. Mix in pumpkin puree. Bake according to box directions. Remove from oven. Poke cake with knife and pour condensed milk over while still warm. After cooling, top with Cool Whip, caramel sauce and Heath bits.

Pumpkin Dip
Bootsie Longest
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1-16 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
Ginger Snaps
In large bowl, combine sugar with cream cheese. Stir until well blended. Add pie filling, cinnamon and ginger. Stir. Store in airtight container. Refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with Ginger Snap cookies.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Chelsea West
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-15 oz. can pumpkin
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmet
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
In large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, oil and vanilla. In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and all spices. Pour egg mixture info flour mixture. Blend well, then add canned pumpkin. Cook small amount on medium heat. Bater will be thin.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cooper Caviness
Gingersnap crumb crust: 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups finely crushed gingersnaps
Filling: 2 blocks cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 can pure pumpkin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt.
Crust: Melt butter, press gingersnaps firmly in springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Let cool. Filling: beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add remaining ingredients. Beat well. Spread evenly over crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes until center is set. Run knife along inside edge of pan to allow cake to settle evenly. Place on wire rack until cooled completely. Chill overnight.

Pumpkin Pie
Satrina Massey
For crust: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup shortening, 3-4 Tbsp. cold water
Stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle one tablespoon of water over part of the mixture; gently toss with fork. Push to side of bowl. Repeat until all is moistened. Form dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, flatten dough with hands. Roll dough, center to edges, forming a circle about a foot across. Wrap pastry around rolling pin and unroll onto a 9” pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch the pastry. Trim to 1/2” beyond edge of pie plate. Fold excess under itself and pinch edges or press down with form for decoration. Do not prick pastry.
For filling: 16 oz. can pumpkin, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 3 eggs, 5 oz. can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk, 1/2 cup milk
Mix together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add eggs. Beat lightly with rotary beater or fork. Gradually stir in evaporated milk, whole milk and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into pie pan with pastry. Cover edge with foil. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove foil, bake another 25 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Emily Rennie
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease cookie sheets. In medium bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla. In separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir into creamed mixture then stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool for a minute on cookie sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks.

Pumpkin Roll
Rita Talford
Cake: 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup plain flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon, 2/3 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Icing: 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1-8 oz. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. margarine, 1 tsp. vanilla flaor
Mix all ingredients. Beat with mixer five minutes. Pour onto 11×15 cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired. Bake at 370° for 10 minutes. Lay out a couple sheets of paper towel with powdered sugar. As soon as cake comes out of oven, dump onto paper towel. Roll cake up in paper towel, making sure cake ends do not touch each other. Let cool completely. Do not refrigerate.
Icing: Mix all ingredients together. Ingredients can be heated to mix together, then refrigerated until cake is ready. After cake is cool, unroll it and add icing, and then roll it back up again. Pumpkin Roll can be refrigerated after it is complete.

Pumpkin Poke Cake
Melissa Morris
1 box cake mix–yellow, spice or carrot
(I prefer carrot)
1-15 oz. can 100% pure pumpkin
2 Tbsp. apple juice or water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Cool Whip
Mix first three ingredients together. Place in greased or sprayed 13×9 baking dish. Mixture will be thick. Bake at 350° until golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly. Poke holes in cake with skewer or other small handle. Pour half (to whole) can sweetened condensed milk over cake. Cool completely. Cover with Cool Whip. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (I add Pampered Chef caramel sprinkles on top of Cool Whip.)

Fall Delight
Bebe Maxwell
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 can Eagle Brand milk
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks melted butter
Mix above ingredients and put in ungreased 9×13. Sprinkle top with one box dry cake mix (yellow) and smooth very well. Melt 2 sticks butter and cover top, being sure all cake mix gets moistened. Top with one cup chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes.