5 Fall Pumpkin Treats You’re Gonna Love!

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

We’re already starting to see the change in the season: leaves changing, hot coffee, denim jackets. But nothing says fall like the taste of pumpkin! Enjoy our favorite Martha treats this autumn.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin-enriched yeast dough swirls around a cinnamon-sugar filling; cream cheese frosting cloaks the top of each roll.

½ cup whole milk
1 stick (½ cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for brushing
2 ¼ teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
Coarse salt
¾ cup packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk

Lightly brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Heat milk and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is warm to the touch, about 120 degrees. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Immediately sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until a bit foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, granulated sugar, egg, pumpkin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix on medium-low speed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl once, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

Brush a 9-by-13 baking dish with butter; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining stick melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a large pinch of salt until smooth and fluffy. Set aside.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 15- by-12-inch rectangle. Spread butter mixture over dough, leaving ¼-inch border. Starting at a long edge, roll up dough like a jelly roll, then cut crosswise into 15 pieces. Place pieces in pan cut-side up, spaced evenly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until buns are almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake buns until golden brown and topping is bubbling around sides of pan, about 17-20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute. If glaze is too thick to drizzle, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Spread half the glaze over slightly cooled rolls. Serve warm or room temperature with additional glaze if desired.

Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake
Martha Stewart and chef Brad Farmerie share an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie: a decadent pumpkin mousse cheesecake.

Pumpkin Butter
Fall’s iconic orange gourd has a place beyond October 31: as pumpkin butter, a fiber-filled spread packed with beta-carotene. Chef Mary Dumont of Harvest restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, shares her take on this seasonal spread.

Pumpkin Bars
Moist and tender pumpkin spice cake lavished with cream cheese frosting: you know you can’t resist.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
½ cup milk, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature

FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
Pinch coarse salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-by-12-inch cake pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Brush parchment with butter.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and milk; set aside
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, and beat until combined. On low speed add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of pumpkin mixture, and beating until just combined after each.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top with spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, and pinch of salt until light and creamy, 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until incorporated.

Assemble: Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake. Cut into 12 bars.

3 Delicious and Sweet Pumpkin Recipes
If your looking for a few make ahead pumpkin desserts so you have plenty of room in your oven for Thanksgiving, check out a few of Sarah Carey’s favorite recipes like her Pumpkin Ice Box Cake, a delicious Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Golden Pumpkin Bread. Enjoy!

More from Martha Stewart:
20 Classic Comfort Food Recipes from Martha Stewart
36 Dinners You Can Make in Just 15 Minutes!
42 Slow-Cooker Recipes Worth the Wait
DIY Dried Fruit Granola Bites
Very Green Cucumber and Pear Juice