Foodie Fridays: Pumpkin Cornbread

I am continuing a pumpkin theme this week by baking up a pan of Pumpkin Cornbread.  This delectable treat would be great with a bowl of chili, or just eaten alone as a snack, with or without butter and/or honey.  I did make a couple of changes to the recipe.  I used a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg, which adds just a little more spiciness (a good thing, in my opinion, but I love sweet spices).  Also, the original recipe calls for olive oil, but any vegetable oil would work just fine.

Because I really dislike using only part of a can of pumpkin, I used two-thirds of the can (which is slightly more than the one cup called for) and then used the rest in another recipe for Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes which I will post next week.  You are supposed to end up with twelve servings of cornbread, but in our house it will probably be more like six or eight.  In fact, my husband dearly loves cornbread, so I may just have to hide a piece if I want to get any at all!

Pumpkin Cornbread

1 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. cornmeal (I used white)
2 eggs
1 C. pumpkin purée
1/4 C. oil (I used canola)
1 T. molasses

Whisk together the first seven ingredients in a medium bowl.  (If necessary, run your fingers through the combined ingredients to find and break up large clumps of brown sugar.)  In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the remaining ingredients.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined.  Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square baking dish, smoothing out the top as much as possible.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a knife or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly and serve.  Serves 12.

Note:  The recipe recommended 30 minutes of baking time, but my cornbread was done in 20 minutes, possibly because I used a metal pan instead of a glass one.  Check your cornbread as directed after 20 minutes to determine if yours needs the longer baking time.