What's Your Pumpkin Pleasure?

It's Halloween and pumpkins are everywhere. So are big bowls of candy. This year we decided to have some individual packages of healthier treats for the younger ghouls and goblins who knock on our door for Halloween.

Oh sure, we'll still have a big bowl of the usual teeth-rotting candy bars because dried cranberry and apple treats might get panned by the older Trick or Treaters. But I have a feeling that the parents of the really little ones, parents who worry about too much chocolate and sticky caramel, might like the idea of fruity snacks.

Come Sunday morning, when that old pumpkin is ready for tossing, it'll be tossed into a 350 degrees F oven, baked about an hour or until its insides are tender enough to be scooped into a bowl for mashing. An easy pumpkin loaf is the perfect Sunday morning breakfast treat and will go well with a cup of cinnamon coffee. For my friends who know how bad I am at making coffee, it will come as no surprise that while the loaf is in the oven, I'll be visiting the Dunkin' drive-thru!

I confess, the picture you see here was taken by my friend Anne. That big old Jack-O-Lantern is her creation and sitting on her windowsill. The two pumpkins gracing my bow window are much smaller sugar pumpkins. Cute and will bake up nicely -- but Anne's pumpkin picture was just too gorgeous not to share. Maybe she'll even try this easy recipe on Sunday morning too!

BREAKFAST PUMPKIN LOAF
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cooked pumpkin
¼ cup olive oil
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons skim milk
2 cups cake flour (or sifted all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of salt
½ cup dried cranberries

Mix sugar, pumpkin, egg whites and milk until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, soda salt and spices. Blend well without over mixing. (Hint: over mixing make a tough batter. Mix batter until just smooth.) Stir in cranberries. Pour into well greased and floured 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. (Hint: cooking spray with flour works best.) Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Serve warm with whipped or softened cream cheese.

Comments

  1. Best Wishes, MarieOctober 31, 2009 at 1:12 AM

    my mother used to save coffee cans all year. and then greese and flour them and use them to bake pumpkin bread. they were great because you could just shake out the loaf, cut off a slice, and then use the can lid. it stayed really fresh and moist. was a great way to give a gift.

    also, a few days ago nessa at familysoup1@bogspot.com posted a pumpkin that looks alot like yours. and the a day later posted it without its tooth. a squirrel ate it !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debby KozOctober 31, 2009 at 9:57 AM

    Lucky for Anne's pumpkin, he lives indoors ... no squirrels allowed! LOL

    ReplyDelete

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