To Pumpkins at Pumpkin Time by Grace Cornell Tall
Back into your garden-beds!
Here come the holidays!
And woe to the golden pumpkin-heads
Attracting too much praise.
Hide behind the hoe, the plow,
Cling fast to the vine!
Those who come to praise you now
Will soon sit down to dine.
Keep your lovely heads, my dears,
If you know what I mean…
Unless you want to be in pie,
Stay hidden or stay green!!
Pumpkin desserts are overflowing out of my kitchen. I recently purchased an adorable cheese pumpkin and have been using up all it’s wonderful deliciousness. If you have never roasted a pumpkin before I suggest giving it a try. Although there are a few rules you should follow.
- NEVER use carved pumpkins to cook with…you risk getting or giving someone food poisoning and in the words of Alton Brown, that is not good eats.
- Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are for decoration not for eating. If you have ever cleaned out a jack-o-lantern you will notice they are pretty hollow in the inside and this is because they are grown for size and a thin shell to carve into…not for flavor.
- Use sugar or cheese pumpkins. They are grown for their insides and have a thicker shell packed all the way through with pulp.
Also I just recently learned there is a canned pumpkin shortage! So this means there is even a bigger reason to use fresh. Who wants to be fighting someone in the grocery store for the last can of pumpkin? I know I don’t! Although I might like seeing someone else in an argument over canned pumpkin….as long as I was not involved! 
So hit up your local farmers market and find some great sugar or cheese pumpkins for all your baking needs. Oh one more thing I learned about canned pumpkin…….
IT IS NOT PUMPKIN!!!
It’s actually a squash variety called Dickinson. Personally I was not that upset when I learned this but I found it interesting. To be completely honest a cheese pumpkin is a moschata squash so I can see how the lines get blurred. In fact the difference between pumpkin and squash in many cases is very small. You can read about this here and to learn more about cheese pumpkins click here.
Ok now onto food! These cheesecake bars cooked up easy and the flavor is amazing. I was a little leery of the sour cream mixture on top, thinking it would be too tangy, but boy was I wrong. I brought the whole dish together. I love the crunchy bottom mixed with the light whipped pumpkin cheesecake filling…delicious! Another great thing about this recipe is that it is not as time consuming as a normal cheesecake. The next time I think I might try putting the bars in a 9×13 pan and double the filling. So delicious…I suggest you try it immediately…if not sooner Enjoy!
Also don’t forget to submit your recipes to Faith by October 28th to enter our event! There is an awesome prize for the winner
Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares:
Crust:
1 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. golden brown sugar – packed
1/2 t. salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter – diced
1 C. pecan halves
3/4 C. old-fashioned oats (I used quick cooking because I was out of old fashioned)
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese – room temperature
3/4 C. fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 C. sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
Topping:
1 C. sour cream
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Using on/off turns, blend first 4 ingredients in processor until coarse meal forms. Add pecans; using on/off turns, process until nuts are chopped. Add oats; process using on/off turns until mixture is moistened but not clumping. Press 3 1/2 cups crumbs onto bottom of prepared square pan (do not clean processor). Transfer remaining crumbs to lined baking sheet. Bake crumbs on sheet until golden, stirring once, about 12 minutes. Cool crumbs. Bake crust until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.
For filling:
Blend all ingredients in same processor until smooth. Spread filling over warm crust; bake until set, dry in center, and beginning to rise at edges, about 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
For topping:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Spread evenly over hot filling. Bake until topping sets and bubbles at edges, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Sprinkle crumbs over topping; gently press into topping. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Cut into squares.
Roasted Pumpkin Puree:
1 3lb. sugar or cheese pumpkin
2 T. olive oil
Kosher Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully cut the pumpkin into four big wedges – get rid of the stem. Scoop out the seeds and pulp (you can toast the seeds if you like), drizzle then rub the pumpkin wedges with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt, and then bake on a baking sheet (middle rack) until tender throughout – about an hour. Scoop flesh out of the skins and puree with a hand blender, food processor or mash well by hand.
Source: Epicurious, 101 Cookbooks and Von Thun’s Country Farm Market
I love your new look! I recognized these bars right away. I made them last Halloween but totally changed the recipe to suit my own tastes. I think I put a white chocolate topping on them. They are so scrumptious! This makes me want to make them again. Great info on pumpkins!
I went to your page and looked your bars up….yum! I loved the addition of white chocolate…delicious!
Your new look is FABULOUS!!! I love it. Great info on pumpkins! I never knew that pumpkin puree is really squash. I’ll admit, I’m kind-of lazy and use the puree pretty frequently. I did just buy a sugar pumpkin to roast though! And I haven’t been able to find cheese pumpkins anywhere (I’ve been looking since you first told me about them!). I have found what are called “white pumpkins”, and they actually look a lot like the pumpkin in your pics…is it possible that cheese pumpkins are called white pumpkins upstate?! If so, I’ve been unknowingly passing them by!
I think white pumpkins and cheese pumpkins are different. When I went to the farmers market they had both. Also I found the cheese pumpkins over by the squash. Keep your eyes peeled:) Hopefully you find one!
Forgot to say, your Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares look incredible…so good in fact, that I’ll probably bring them to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house!
Hooray! I hope your parents enjoy them
This looks so good. I’d love to have a piece of this right now.
ps. Cool new layout. Love the header, too.
If you lived in NY I would gladly share
Love your blogs new looks. So pretty. Your pumpkin bars look good……one word…YUM!
They really were yum! I sent some to work with my boyfriend so they were out of my house
Yum… these look delicious! Love the pictures of the pumpkin, too.
The pumpkin was so adorable I was sad to cut it in half…hahaha.
Your site looks fabulous, love it! The pumpkin cheesecake squares sounds scrumptious!
Thanks! They really were delicious:)
That looks like it would have been good as a pie also, with whip cream.
Next time I’m home I will make you a pie….:)
These look AMAZING. Another pumpkin recipe that I am going to have to try! So many pumpkins, so little time…
It’s that time of the year. Overloaded with pumpkin desserts:)
These are FANTASTIC!!! What an awesome dessert. I love all the layers, and you roasted your own pumpkin.. so impressive and it must taste so wonderful!
Thanks! I hope you try them…easy and delicious:)
Oh my gosh, these sound delicious…what a killer post!! And I adore your new look!! Really, really do
Thank you so much! I’m so happy everyone likes me new look. I’m hoping it looks more like “real” website now:)
I’m so impressed you made your own pumpkin puree! The bars sounds divine!
Thanks!
These look fab! Its so cool that you made your own pumpkin puree. I should do that too, its super hard to find canned pumpkin in the uk. Have a wonderful weekend daaaaaahling.
Thanks daaaaahling:) You really should puree your own. I had no idea it was hard to find pumpkin in the UK.
Sweet wounded wuffles! I must eat these…
And canned pumpkin a sham? How dreadful!
I just found your blog and I love it. The pumpkin cheesecake bars look out of this world!
Cheesecake and crumble and pumpkin – all in one treat! Music to my ears – and they look delicious.
Oh my goodness! These look sooooo delicious! And I love the whole suction on pumpkins! Yum! -mary
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Making these today!! Am using a butternut squash instead of pumpkin as that is all I had….but I don’t feel so bad now after reading what you said about canned pumpkin.
Can’t wait to taste them!!!
I made something with cheesecake and pumpkin also. Yours look out of this world scrumptious.
Ohhh these look so amazing!!
If I didn’t want to use sour cream, what could I substitute ? Mascarpone cheese maybe?
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ohhh i so wanna make these i absolutely loveee pumkin and cheese cake combined my mind might go boom lol pumkin is my absoulute favorite flavor ever ^.^