the wonder of pumpkin continues

I've said it before, I love pumpkin. I love baking with pumpkin, I love roasting pumpkin, I love pumpkin sees, the list goes on. Baking with pumpkin just keeps getting better. As you've seen on my here on my blog, I've made a few delicious pumpkin baked goods in the recent past (check them out here and here). Adding pumpkin to a baked dish both elevates and deepens flavor, while adding amazing texture and moisture to whatever you are baking. If you haven't tried baking with pumpkin, pick up a can at the grocery store, and try it out. It blends so well with peanut butter, chocolate, cinnamon, you name it.

The other day, I bought an extremely large can of pumpkin at the grocery store, because for some reason, it was less expensive than the smaller can. Typically I don't splurge for the big can, but this time, it just made sense. Plus, I figured it would challenge me to use up all of my pumpkin. I made an amazing pumpkin bread with the can, but having a ton of leftover pumpkin, I started to brainstorm. I hate wasting food, so having a hugenda can of pumpkin in my fridge definitely motivated me to try out a new recipe.

I was in charge of salad and dessert (I know, a winning combination), for a dinner the other night at my camp friend's apartment. We had a wonderful girls dinner- with an amazing surprise guest! One of my best friends, who has spent the year in South America, returned home early and surprised us all by showing up. It made the dinner that much more special. I ended up making peanut butter cookies (an old stand by), and this new recipe. It was a little random, and really went out on a limb, but it turned out to be incredibly delicious. These tasty treats were quickly gobbled up, and I will definitely be making them again.

oh, yum.

Pumpkin Blondies

2 cups gluten free flour mix (can easily be subbed for regular flour)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil OR 2 sticks of unsalted butter
1/4 cup cinnamon apple sauce (optional, but will make them that much more moist and delicious)
2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
(any extra mix-in's that you can think of, would be delicious! next time I'll add peanut butter chips)

pure pumpkin bliss

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt
In a separate bowl, mix together (with an electric mixer), the oil/butter, apple sauce, and brown sugar until the sugar mixture begins to turn fluffy
Add in the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix well (be sure to scrape down the edges of your bowl and incorporate all of the ingredients
Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts
Pour the batter into a 9x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
Cook the blondies for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center (under cooking is never frowned upon!)
Allow the blondies to cool and enjoy!!