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Community Corner

Pumpkins Great for Holiday Recipes

Greet the holidays with some creamy pumpkin dip or some fragrant pumpkin bread. These both make great holiday gifts.

Pumpkins are here and ready to enjoy. They are fun to decorate with during the autumn months but they’re also good to eat. You can use fresh cooking pumpkins, bake them and scoop out the pulp or, like I do, take the easy way out and use canned pumpkins for my baking needs. 

Here are some new pumpkin ideas for this year. The next time you bake a pumpkin pie try using a gingersnap crust for it instead of the traditional flour crust. If you have an ice cream maker, enjoy some pumpkin ice cream. 

Two of my favorite ways to serve pumpkin are a pumpkin dip that is served with gingersnaps and in pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread is easy to make, delicious, freezes well and makes a nice gift. What more can you ask?

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Below are the recipes for my two favorite ways with pumpkin. The pumpkin bread recipe was shared with me by my niece Jen Zelenka of Orlando, FL. 

Pumpkin Dip with Gingersnaps
ingredients:

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  • 2  8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 1 16 oz. can pumpkin
  • 1 box confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • gingersnaps

prep:
Beat together until smooth the cream cheese and pumpkin.

In a sifter combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sift onto the cream cheese mixture.

Chill until ready to serve.

Serve with gingersnaps.

This recipe is easily divided in half.

 

Pumpkin Bread
Makes 3 small or 2 large loaves
ingredients:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1⅓ cup oil (substitute ⅓ for applesauce)
  • 1 16 oz. can pumpkin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ⅔ cup water

prep:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Use a mixer to combine the sugar, eggs, oil, and pumpkin. 

Sift together dry ingredients into a separate bowl. 

Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Add water and mix well. 

Pour in 3 greased loaf pans (I used 2 and it made 2 large loaves). 

Bake on middle rack for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

25-30 minutes for muffins.

Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to rack and allow to cool completely. 

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