With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, there's always an occasion for something sweet. Here's a yummy treat that my friend, Kathy Brenner, recently made for our book group. It was a big hit!
Pumpkin Crunch Pie (Cake??)
1 (16 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar (you can cut it in half if you want it less sweet)
pumpkin pie spices:
* 1 t. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 t. ground ginger
* 1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1 pkg. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow (or Spice) cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
2 sticks butter, melted
whipped topping (store bought or make your own)
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom of 13x9x2 pan.
2. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until well blended. Pour into the pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle with melted butter.
3. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until golden. Cool completely. Serve with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.
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I have always made sweet potato soufflé at Thanksgiving. This year, I decided to "kick it up a notch." I combined 3 different recipes and then tweaked things a bit until I came up with this...
Bourbon Bacon Sweet Potato Soufflé
Margaret Martin
Sweet potato mixture:
2 (40 oz) cans of sweet potatoes, drained and mashed (You can use fresh sweet potatoes and bake them, but I have found that canned sweet potatoes make a nice smooth mixture. Plus, it's a lot easier!)
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
Streusel:
1 cup dark or light brown sugar
3/4 t. kosher salt
1 stick butter, softened
6-7 strips thick cut maple bacon cooked, drained, and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9x13 pan with oil and set aside.
*In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, and butter until small pea-size pieces form. Add in the bacon and pecans and use your hands to form large crumbles. Refrigerate until ready to use.
*In a small sauce pan, add the butter, orange juice, bourbon, and spices. Bring to a simmer until the butter has melted and small bubbles start to form. Remove from the stove.
*Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Pour in the butter/bourbon mixture and mix well. Add the beaten eggs and sugar. Mix well and pour into the prepared pan.
*Sprinkle the brown sugar/bacon/pecan mixture evenly on top of the soufflé.
*Bake until the top is slightly browned and the soufflé bubbles slightly...about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
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