I love fall time for many reasons, and high on my list is the fact that I can pull out pumpkin recipes.  I just brought home two home grown pie pumpkins last weekend (they were free!) and am excited to use them in pumpkin pie over the next few weeks.  For today, I have two recipes that I’ve recently “invented,”  that we’ve enjoyed.Remember how I shared that I’ve been botching more recipes lately than nailing ‘em?  Well, I had a victory fail.  New phrase, which means, I failed original recipe that turned out to be a fabulous new recipe.

All hope was not lost when I mistakenly quadrupled all of the remaining ingredients to a soaked recipe that I’d only doubled.  I don’t know where my brain was.  Probably lost in the first 8 dozen muffins and 4 loaves of bread that I baked last Wednesday.  I was on day two, wondering if I’d lost my marbles (not for screwing up the recipe, but for attempting to repeat the workload for a second day).

I was kicking myself until I realized that the wonderful pumpkin muffins I’d intended to make might actually make really incredible pumpkin cupcakes. And. They. Did.  So, just in time for Thanksgiving, I thought I’d inspire a non-traditional Thanksgiving dessert.   I’m going to contribute a dozen (since I have a few in the freezer) to our feast when we head to Maryland.  It’s the least I can do and will travel well.

The only “problem” is that the following recipe is for 3 dozen. I’m telling you exactly what I did, which was a mess-up.  You’ll have to do the math if you want to make less. The other thing, ahem, is that they will probably overflow and cover the whole tin.  I asked my husband if it was still worth sharing the recipe and he said, “Yes!”  So, I’ll work on fixing that, but in the meantime, regardless of how they look, they taste amazing. Just put foil under your tins…you know, just in case. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Icing (3 dozen)

3 1/3 c freshly milled flour

2 c pumpkin

1 1/2 c water + 4 T plain yogurt

1 c butter, melted

3 c plain yogurt (or other acidic medium)

8 eggs

4 c Sucanat

1 tsp baking powder

6 tsp baking soda

3 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1.  Soak first five ingredients overnight.

2.  Preheat oven to 325.  Grease muffin tins and set aside.

3.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour into muffin tins.   Bake for 45+ minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  These will be wonderfully moist!!

Cream Cheese Icing

2 packages cream cheese

1 c Sucanat, wizzed in a coffee grinder

1.  Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Yum!

Pumpkin Yogurt

I bought 2 cases of yogurt at our last food coop drop because they were significantly cheaper than buying at the local health food store.  I try to get veggies in my kids at nearly every opportunity afforded me, so after seeing a recipe for pumpkin yogurt last week, I gave it a try.  My recipe is very flexible, as you’ll notice.  My kids LOVE it.  Yay!

plain yogurt

canned pumpkin (or fresh)

maple syrup or Sucanat

pumpkin pie spice *

1.  Combine all ingredients to taste. 

*I keep a mixture of my own pumpkin pie spice which contains equal amounts of: cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg.

See how easy that is!  My kids love yogurt and now, they love pumpkin and yogurt mixed together.  Blane’s staying away from this one.  He’s not a pumpkin fan, but for some reason, (maybe the 4c of Sucanat and cream cheese icing) he loved those pumpkin cupcakes!

How do you use pumpkin in the fall?  Share a recipe with us!

Find more real food recipes over at Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Learn other helpful ideas from moms over at the Raising Homemakers Link-up.