Making My Own Pumpkin Puree for Pumpkin Pies- Part 2

Earlier this fall, I wrote a post about trying to make my own pumpkin puree out of a pumpkin I purchased in store. I wanted to use the puree to make pumpkin pies out of. I was worried I purchased the wrong type of pumpkin for pies. Sadly, I was right. So, in late October, I went searching for a new pumpkin that would be good for pies. I found not one, but two pumpkins. They are small but I was very happy to find them!

Here is what the pumpkins looked like when I purchased them…

I originally wanted to use a pumpkin puree recipe I found from a cooking and baking blogger, but when I tried to find it and review it, I couldn’t find it. (The blog and recipe still exists online, but I don’t know where I saved the link.) Instead, I used a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. The recipe found here.

I did everything the recipe said to and the pumpkin turned out well. This is what the pumpkin puree looked like before I put it in the freezer…

I forgot to take pictures of the pumpkins after I pulled them out of the oven. So, the puree in freezer bags is the best I could do to prove the puree turned out well!

The best thing about The Pioneer Woman’s recipe is that it doesn’t need to use oil. In the original recipe I wanted to use, it says to coat olive oil over the pumpkin before cooking it. Instead, The Pioneer Woman says to leave it off. I was worried the oil would change the way the pumpkin puree would taste. Since I didn’t need to do that with this recipe, I feel completely confident that the pumpkin will taste like pumpkin. Not pumpkin with olive oil!

The only thing I did differently is I poked the pumpkins with a fork. The first recipe said to do this to allow steam to release. I liked that idea, so I decided to do it for my pumpkins. I don’t know if it made a difference, but I like to think it did.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!