Fresh Pumpkin VS Canned Pumpkin!

Okay, so here's where I'm at in terms of comparing canned pumpkin in a recipe versus cooking it on my own.  There's a color and textural difference for sure, but in terms of taste and in the last Iced Pumpkin Cookie Recipe I made, I'm kind of partial to the canned believe it or not!  I didn't find the taste more or less intense, and although this time the icing turned out better, I still like the texture of the denser canned pumpkin cookie better.  The lighter real pumpkin ones puffed up more in the oven, but were no more moist than the canned ones and perhaps even less so.  And I didn't mind taking the time to cook the pumpkin, which is usually the argument for using canned.  It made the whole house smell delicious! So that was a bonus.  And of course I was able to bake the seeds with some Johnny's Seasoning Salt YUM YUM!

Conclusion: Used canned if you really want to save time, it won't sacrifice on the flavor! Bake your own for the experience and to impress your friends, haha!

Here is the recipe I used to bake my pumpkin:


INGREDIENTS:

1 medium sugar pumpkin

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.	Cut pumpkin into small manageable pieces and cut off pith and seeds.
3.	Place cut pumpkin skin side up in a large roasting pan. Add 1/4 inch of water and bake uncovered for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and allow pumpkin to cool.
4.	When cooled, cut away skin and mash or puree. I used a hand blender! Use in any recipe that calls for canned pureed pumpkin.