I don’t know why it took me so long to puree my own pumpkin but I’m glad that I finally did. Wow, what a delight. Unfortunately, by the time I came to this realization all the pumpkins out there were gone! Next October I plan to fill my freezer with pumpkin puree. In a word: yum.

Pumpkin seems to make things that might otherwise have ended up ordinary a little more special. It adds sweetness, moistness, and a certain je ne c’est quoi. Pumpkin Puree does wonders for the vegan baker too – like banana, pumpkin works as an excellent binder. And, on top of being entirely delicious, pumpkin is good for you – all the more reason to bake lots of pies, cakes, cookies and other pumpkin inspired what-have-you’s.

I followed these great directions for pureeing the pumpkin, from the fabulous site The Pioneer Woman. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make my own pumpkin puree.

I made chocolate pumpkin pie, plain pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin butter, and pepitas. You say that I’ve become somewhat pumpkin obsessed. Can you believe that I almost threw out the pumpkin seeds? Yes, true story. I almost missed out on those crispy roasted pepitas, sprinkled with a little olive oil and sea salt, mmmm.

I used Dreena Burton’s recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. I really like this one, despite the fact that I burned the chocolate crumb crust. The filling was awesome. Chocolate and pumpkin together is genius. Next time I’ll put the pie on a baking sheet before baking. You live, you learn.

For the pumpkin cookies I followed this recipe from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. These cookies are not too sweet and I, of course, forgot to make the icing – so I spread a little orange marmalade over top for some added sweetness: yum.

Maybe I’ll plant a pumpkin patch next summer. There’s a thought.