October 26 is National Pumpkin Day, and with just a few more sleeps until Halloween, now’s the time to celebrate all things pumpkin. Because there’s clearly no better way to enjoy everyone’s favorite symbol of the season than to eat it, the Disney Parks Blog shared five delicious pumpkin recipes inspired by seasonal dishes served at the Disney parks through the years.
Pumpkin Pancakes
Start your morning with a start of hearty pumpkin pancakes topped with plenty of butter and syrup. First introduced at Walt Disney World at Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, these pancakes are spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Makes 10 4-inch pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
- Combine milk, egg, melted butter, pumpkin, and vanilla extract in small bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves in medium bowl. Fold wet ingredients into flour mixture.
- Heat lightly-oiled large skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Add 1/4 cup scoops of pancake batter onto griddle. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Pumpkin Soup
Perfect for warming up after some safe, socially distanced trick-or-treating, this pumpkin soup, inspired by a recipe from Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT, is gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 cup diced butternut squash (skin and seeds removed)
- 3 cups canned pumpkin (approximately 1 1⁄2 15-ounce cans)
- 1 tablespoon honey or light agave syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1⁄4 cup apple juice concentrate
- 2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 6 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), roasted and salted (for garnish)
Directions
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and butternut squash and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and bring just to a boil.
- Reduce to medium low heat. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until completely cooked and tender. Stir occasionally.
- Blend with immersion blender until smooth or transfer soup to blender and purée until smooth.
- Evenly divide soup into 6 bowls and top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of pepitas.
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
The classic French dish, inspired by the one served at Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs, gets a seasonal twist courtesy of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and a topping of sugared pecans and a cute pumpkin-shaped sable cookie.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Sable Cookies
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 drop orange food coloring
Sugared Pecans
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup sugar
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 10 egg yolks
- 6 teaspoons sugar
Directions
For Sable Cookies
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Cut butter into small pieces and place in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add flour, sugar, salt, and almond flour and mix on medium speed until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add egg yolk and orange food coloring and beat until soft ball of dough forms.
- Roll dough into 1/8-inch thick rectangle using 2 sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
- Cut into small pumpkin shapes and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies begin to brown. Cool completely before serving.
For Sugared Pecans
- Line baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Heat medium sauté pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add pecans and sugar. Stir constantly with rubber spatula for 4-6 minutes, until pecans are evenly toasted and sugar begins to caramelize.
- Pour onto prepared baking pan to cool.
For Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
- Preheat oven to 270°F. Place 6 ramekins 3 inches apart in roasting pan. Set aside.
- Combine cream, pumpkin purée, sugar, and pumpkin spice in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches 145°F.
- Place egg yolks in large bowl and beat until smooth. Slowly mix 1/2 cup of warm cream mixture into eggs, whisking constantly. Pour into cream mixture on top of stove and cook, whisking constantly until it reaches 145°F
- Pour 1/3 cup of custard into each ramekin. Place roasting pan in oven and carefully pour enough hot water into roasting pan to cover ramekins half way up sides.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until crème brûlée is set.
- Remove ramekins from pan and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
To Serve
Evenly sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar on top of each cooled Crème Brûlée. Using caution, melt sugar with culinary torch until golden brown and crispy. Top with cookie and sugared pecans.
Pumpkin Bars
A bit like individual pumpkin pies, these pumpkin bars, originally served at Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, are perfect for a socially distanced holiday menu.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 of a 14-ounce box)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Pumpkin Filling
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
For Crust
- Preheat oven to 375 ̊F. Spray 9 inch x 13 inch bottom and sides of baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom of sprayed baking dish with parchment paper that comes up 1 to 2 inches on 2 sides – so you can easily lift out Pumpkin Bars once cooled. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
- Pulse graham crackers in blender until finely chopped crumbs.
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar in medium bowl until completely combined.
- Firmly press crust mixture evenly onto bottom of baking dish.
- Bake 10 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes.
For Pumpkin Filling
- Preheat oven to 375 ̊F.
- Whisk eggs, pumpkin purée, and evaporated milk together in large bowl.
- Mix remaining dry ingredients together in small bowl, making sure to break up any lumps in the spices.
- Add dry sugar mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.
- Pour filling into baked graham cracker crust, tilting the pan slightly to evenly distribute over the crust.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is set when you gently shake the pan.
- Cool completely in refrigerator. Once cooled, carefully lift Pumpkin Bars out of baking dish using exposed parchment paper and place on large cutting board. Cut into bars.
Pumpkin Twists
A pumpkin-y take on breakfast pastries, these pumpkin twists, served seasonally at Maurice’s Treats at Disneyland, are the perfect accompaniment to your morning PSL.
Makes 18 Twists
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant pectin
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 3 (17.3 ounce) boxes frozen puff pastry, thawed (6 sheets)
- 1/4 cup sanding sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Directions
- Combine brown sugar, sugar, instant pectin, 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin purée in medium bowl until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Line baking sheet with wax paper; set aside.
- Lightly dust large cutting board with flour. Carefully unroll one sheet of puff pastry and gently roll with rolling pin to flatten any creases. Spread 1/3 of pumpkin/sugar filling onto puff pastry, leaving 1/4-inch border around edges. Move to wax paper-lined baking sheet.
- Carefully unroll second sheet of puff pastry onto floured cutting board to flatten any creases. Carefully lift and place on top of pumpkin filling and press to seal. Cover with sheet of wax paper.
- Repeat two more times with remaining puff pastry and pumpkin filling to make three filled pastries (stacked on top of each other). Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Mix remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice with sanding sugar in small bowl; set aside.
- Mix egg and milk together in small bowl; set aside.
- Working with one filled pastry at a time, place on cutting board and cut each one into six 1 1/2-inch strips. Place on prepared baking sheet 1 1/2-inches apart. Gently twist each strip 3 times.
- Brush each twist with egg and milk mixture and sprinkle with sanding sugar mixture.
- Bake for 22 to 24 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before serving.
- Repeat with remaining filled pastries.
