
This time of year every grocery has bins brimming with gorgeous pumpkins and it’s just so tempting. Imagine our excitement when Sara from Cake Over Steak reached out with an invitation for a virtual pumpkin party, aka finally giving us an excuse to pick out the perfect little pumpkin pie pumpkin to take home!
Our amazing recipe contributor Claire came up with two recipes you can make from one pumpkin! The first is a ginger spice trail mix made by toasting the pumpkin seeds. The second is a treat for your four-legged friend made from the actual meat of the pumpkin. Plus, both make wonderful handmade gifts during the holiday season.


Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix
Ingredients
- all the seeds from one pumpkin washed and strained
- 2 teaspoons salt added in 1-teaspoon increments
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup candied ginger cut up into pea-sized pieces
Instructions
- Wash pumpkin throughly and dry with dish towel. Cut off top and scrape all fibrous strands and seeds out into a bowl. Pull off and discard any slime, fibrous stands or pumpkin that clings to the seeds. Once all seeds are cleaned, fill the bowl with warm tap water and let it sit, stirring the mixture occasionally with a fork to allow any excess pumpkin pieces to sink to the bottom. Soaking pumpkin seeds in water for about 10-15 minutes helps to remove pumpkin residue.
- Strain away the excess water using a colander. Rinse seeds well with warm water and then place them, on a large rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with a sheet of parchment paper; this is not required but it will make the clean-up a lot easier. Spread the seeds evenly throughout cookie sheet and make sure the salt is mixed in well.
- Coat seeds in 1 teaspoon salt and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss in coconut oil, turmeric, sesame, maple syrup and salt. Stir the seeds with a a fork and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. When seeds are cooked, remove from oven and mix the almonds, cranberries and ginger into the warm seeds. Stir well and garnish with extra sea salt or pepper to your liking. Let stand to cool before transferring to a storage container for future use.
Nutrition

Then our next recipe is all about my favorite four-legged dog friends!


Pumpkin Pooch Treats
Ingredients
- meat of one medium pumpkin-pie pumpkin about 5 pounds
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, bacon fat, or lard
- 2-3 whole chicken livers
- 2 cups cooked pumpkin with rind removed
- 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Pumpkin meat:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake the pumpkin once all seeds and fibrous stands have been throughly cleaned and scraped away. Cut the pumpkin into quarters and place on a large baking dish with about an inch of water in the bottom. Using 1 tablespoon coconut oil, filtered bacon fat, or lard, coat pumpkin meat well and prick multiple times with a fork.
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until pumpkin meat is soft and easily scraped away from rind.
- Place all the cooked pumpkin meat into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the pumpkin puree to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can add any extra pumpkin to your dog’s food or use it to make a pumpkin pie for yourself, too.
Dog treats:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place two cups pumpkin and 2-3 whole chicken livers into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, remove mixture, and place it in a bowl. Add the buckwheat flour and baking powder and stir until well mixed. Add coconut oil, then oatmeal and mix well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the dough onto the parchment paper and spread out as evenly as possible until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. You want the dough to bake into a firm, but still soft cake.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cooked dough to sit until completely cool. Using cookie cutters or a sharp knife, cut out biscuits into your dog’s favorite shapes. The scraps can be cut up into smaller pieces and used for training treats.
Nutrition

Clearly, Lucy couldn’t resist sneaking a treat from the photoshoot plate! Claire’s pumpkin pooch treats get two paws up from the resident wiener dogs taste testers.


Our pups have seriously LOVED these treats! Let us know if you try our recipe with your own furry friends!
For more #virtualpumpkinparty recipes check out these other participants:
- Cake Over Steak Quick Pumpkin and Kale Risotto + Arancini
- Donuts, Dresses and Dirt Pumpkin Spice Latte Popsicles
- Cloudy Kitchen Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla German Buttercream
- Vegetarian ‘Ventures Smoky Pumpkin & Black Sesame Hummus
- Eat Boutique Pumpkin Scallion Dumplings
- A Little Saffron Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
- Two Red Bowls Pumpkin & Maple Caramel Baked French Toast
- Wallflower Kitchen Mini Pumpkin & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Wit & Vinegar Pumpkin Butterscotch Banana Split
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- Nommable Pumpkin Biscuits with Mushroom Thyme Gravy
- With Food + Love Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Seed Bread
- Hortus Creamy Roasted Squash Soup + Pumpkin Risotto
- Sevengrams Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
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- Tending the Table Roasted Pumpkin and Barley Salad
- The Sugar Hit Super Soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
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Photography and styling by Jojotastic, assisted by Gwen McKenzie. Recipe developed by Claire McAleese for Jojotastic.
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This is so brilliant! I was thinking of baking some cookies for my little girl, i bet she will LOVE these!
ooooo perfect timing huh! Hope you (and your sweet friend) like them!
Fabulous pumpkin two ways .
thanks!