By: Nicole Magas, Gabrielle McLaren, Marco Ovies, and Dylan Webb

Illustration by: Maple Sukontasukkul

Sometimes, pumpkin-spice lattes and pumpkin TimBits are not enough. This Halloween season, The Peak compiled a recipe roundup of pumpkin-centric foods, both savoury and sweet, that will surely sate your autumnal cravings. 

SWEET TREATS 

Pumpkin-marbled chocolate brownies 

The best part of this recipe is how dramatic the pumpkin and chocolate batter looks when you swirl them together with a fork. And yes, it is that easy to make everyone who knows you think you’re Martha Stewart. I hear your fears about chocolate and pumpkin as a pairing, but don’t let Starbucks makes you think that pumpkin has to stand alone. — GM 

Yields: Depends on the brownie recipe used as a base! 

Ingredients:

• Ingredients needed for your go-to brownie recipe, or a store-bought brownie mix
• 3 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp butter 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1 tbsp flour 
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or more) 

Instructions:

1. Make your usual brownie recipe or follow the recipes on your mix, and pour batter into a prepared pan.
2. Beat your cream cheese and butter together in a mixer or food processor (doing it by hand is doable but very labour intensive). 
3. Add in sugar and beat until well combined. Protip: Scrape the sides of your bowl to avoid a granular mixture.
4. Beat in all other ingredients.
5. Dump spoonfuls of your pumpkin cream cheese mixture on top of brownie batter.
6. Use a fork to swirl the cream cheese for a marbled effect, and to distribute the pumpkin cream cheese mix equally. 
7. Bake your brownies as per your recipe’s instructions and enjoy! 

Pumpkin, carrot, and chocolate chip muffins 

These muffins are unspeakably good. I’m not even going to describe them because my words, those of a mere mortal, would not do them justice. Be liberal with your pumpkin spice (or whatever amalgamation of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger feels right in your heart while you’re baking) and throw in chocolate chips to truly love yourself. — GM 

Yield: 36 muffins 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour 
• 1.5 tbsp of pumpkin spice (or whatever amalgamation of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger feels right — don’t bother buying pumpkin spice if you have these in your pantry!)
• 2 tsp of baking soda 
• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree 
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 cup shredded carrots 
• 1 cup chocolate chips 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Aside from your carrots and chocolate chips, combine your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in the other. Then, mix them together. 
3. Add your carrots and chocolate chips in last, to make sure that they’re well-incorporated in your batter. 
4. Bake your muffins for 18-20 minutes, and enjoy! 

Vegan pumpkin pie truffles

So this is actually my mom’s recipe (because I can’t cook) and I don’t know if I’m allowed to publish it, so please don’t tell her. The great thing about this recipe is that it is both vegan and can be made in less than 15 minutes. They taste just like little pumpkin pie bites, and since they’re vegan, you can pretend that they’re actually healthy for you while you eat the whole tray. — MO

Yields: 12 balls 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin, not pie mix)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)
• 1/2 cup + 2-3 tbsp almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1–2 tbsp rum or liquor of choice (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add pumpkin puree and maple syrup to a pan. Mix in the salt and pumpkin pie spice. 
2. Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 mins to thicken slightly. Add in the vanilla extract. Here, you can add your 1–2 tbsp rum or liquor of choice.
3. Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add in almond and coconut flour. Mix well. 
4. Let chill to absorb for 10 minutes, then mix again. If the dough is sticky, add 2 tbsp or more of almond flour. Press the mixture between your fingers to check. 
5. Using your hands, form the dough into smooth balls. 
6. In a bowl, mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon. Roll the balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. 
7. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to a month. 

SAVOURY CITY 

Pumpkin alfredo 

Listen, I know this feels like a weird one, but bear with me! Pumpkin is the perfect cheap, nutritious, and filling thickener for a savoury and smooth sauce. I would recommend throwing in more garlic than the recipe calls for, and sage is a super nice addition to this dish. — GM 

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pasta (fettuccine is great!) 
• 6 tbsp of butter, margarine, or another cooking oil 
• 2 cloves of garlic or more
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree 
• 1/8 tsp of nutmeg 
• 2/3 cup of half and half cream (if you’re using milk of some sort, adjust your quantity so that your sauce is still thick) 
• Parmesan cheese and parsley to garnish (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Boil water and make your pasta as usual. Make sure to keep some leftover pasta water (roughly half a cup, depending on how much liquid you want to later use to adjust your sauce’s consistency). 
2. In a pan, melt your butter and cook your garlic. 
3. The original recipe recommends incorporating all other ingredients in a pan to make the sauce, but feel free to toss everything in with your drained pasta so it all simmers together.  

Flourless pumpkin bread

I had gluten-intolerant friends in high school, which taught me that when you find a good flourless recipe, you never let it go. Not only do you pin that recipe on all of your boards — you carve it in your skin. This recipe’s hamartia is the fact that it calls for almond butter, which is so expensive it hurts. Feel free to substitute for peanut butter or even tahini, depending on what you have handy. — GM 

Yields: One loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond butter (or substitute) 
• 2/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree (if you use pumpkin pie mix, adjust your spices and double/triple-check the ingredient list if gluten is a concern) 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I always, always put more cinnamon than called for)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Mix all the ingredients together; a blender or food processor works best.
3. Bake in a loaf pan for 40–45 minutes until done or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Note: Don’t worry if the top of your loaf sinks when it’s cooling, it’s normal! 

Slow-cooker pumpkin butter spread

Come the stroke of midnight on the day the first leaf falls from the trees, all foods turn into pumpkins. So why not butter? This sweet treat will turn your morning toast into a little slice of Thanksgiving pie that just can’t be beat! Pumpkin butter can be stored for up to two weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. It makes a great dip or spread to add just a little bit of extra pumpkin to all your autumn meals. — NM 

Yields: 4 mason jars worth

Ingredients: 

• 2 small pie pumpkins  
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Instructions:

1. Cut pumpkins with a sharp knife and scrape out all the seeds.
2. Carefully cut remaining flesh from shell and dice the flesh into cubes.
3. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker. Give it all a good stir with care.
4. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. 
5. Remove cooked mix into a standing blender and blend until smooth until even consistency is reached. Alternatively, do so in an emulsion blender can be used in the pot, or in a large bowl.
6. Chill in the refrigerator to set.

Pumpkin curry: 

I love this recipe because it gives me a chance to eat a vegetable I usually don’t like. I would normally associate pumpkin flavourings with desserts and sweetness, so the contrast here is really enjoyable. I definitely always have it with the optional spicy chilies. It’s a Fijian-style curry, that is also vegan-friendly. In my opinion, it goes best with a simple roti, but rice works too. Shoutout to my friend, Pushpa Singh, who personally taught me how to make it! — DW 

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp ground garlic
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 6 tbsp of olive or corn oil 
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mint (optional)
• 1–2 tsp of hot chilis (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut pumpkin into small cubes. 
2. Cut onion and chilis finely (if chilis are being added).
3. Add oil to pan. Heat to medium-high, then add onions. 
4. When onions are soft, add ginger, garlic, mustard seed, cumin, curry leaves, pumpkin, salt, and chilis. 
5. Cook until soft. 
6. Once cooked, add finely cut mint on top.