Easy Ways to Reuse Your Pumpkin Post-Halloween

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4. Bake A Pumpkin Loaf

If you're looking for a wholesome fall activity for a weekend afternoon, this is perfect. Once baked, get yourself a cup of hot coffee, find somewhere to get cozy, and enjoy a moment of calm with a slice of this loaf — it's the perfect pick-me-up.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup homemade pumpkin purée 
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs

Instructions:

For the purée:

1. Chop the leftover pumpkin into chunks.
2. Heat oven to 400 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Rinse and pat the pumpkin dry. Cut into chunks and roast for 40 min.
4. Remove from oven, and blend with an immersion blender. 

For the loaf:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt to a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a seperate bowl, combine the oil, butter, and vanilla. Add the the homemade pumpkin purée and sugar, and beat in the eggs. Use an immersion blender to make sure all ingredients are properly combined.
4. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients are totally blended.
5. Butter a 10-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and stick a sheet of parchment paper onto the base of the pan. The sides of the parchment paper should hang over the edges of the pan.
6. Pour the liquid into the pan and bake for 1 hour. The bread should rise, and the top of the loaf should be a brown color.
7. Slice and enjoy!