For years and years now, I’ve used canned pumpkin. There’s no shame in it, really. So long as you aren’t using pumpkin pie filling, canned pumpkin can be ok. It is easy, it is convenient, it is delicious. Canned pumpkin is a-okay. Until you’ve tried real pumpkin puree made from an actual pumpkin.
Friends, real pumpkin changes the game 100%. It is, surprisingly, much more subtle. It has a lightly sweet taste and leaves your pumpkin treats incredibly, unbelievably moist. I used real pumpkin in some pumpkin bread – the quintessential fall treat – and was beyond impressed with the results. It yielded a bread so moist, so tender, so delicious, it was devoured before I could even get it on the table. Well, almost.
The key to real pumpkin is to get a sugar pie pumpkin. Now, there’s some debate on this – mainly between my mom and I. She tells me that you can use a regular old jack-o-lantern pumpkin but I insist not. This time of year, sugar pie pumpkins are easily available at any grocery store so go for it. Grab one and carefully slice it in half, scooping out the seeds. Spray a baking sheet with a bit of non-stick spray and roast that baby at 425 degrees until fork tender. Let it cool and use your fork or spoon to sc