I love canned pumpkin and I use it all the time in baking. We make pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cornbread, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin sweet rolls, and pumpkin pie of course. I recently even made pumpkin chili and, to my surprise, it was quite good. There are many other things I would like to try with pumpkin puree, it just makes food taste great.
Another great thing about pumpkin puree is that it can replace oil and butter in many recipes. For replacing oil you can use 1 to 1 ration, for example use 1 cup of pumpkin puree in place of 1 cup oil called for. For replacing butter you can use 3/4 to 1 ration, for example use 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree in place of 1 cup butter called for. These amounts might need to be adjusted from recipe to recipe but it is a good starting point for you.
Because I use canned pumpkin often, it is a perfect product to add to my food storage list, it may not be for you. Canned pumpkin has a shelf life for up to 2 years from the date it is processed, so about 1 1/2 half years from the date you purchase it from the store. I try to make sure I use it by the “best by” date printed on the can, any older than that and the quality and nutrition goes fast.
My goal is to store about a one year supply of canned pumpkin in my storage room. I use about 4 cans a month, so I would need 48 cans of pumpkin puree to reach this goal. I am only about half way to my goal right now. I buy 8 cans of pumpkin puree every month, 4 to replace the ones I used and 4 help me reach my goal. You might consider buying a 12 pack of the quality organic pumpkin puree to get a good start.
Recipes to Try
I hope to post more of the pumpkin recipes I use later on. Feel free to share your pumpkin recipe links below, I am definitely looking for more to try.