No-Bake Pumpkin Dessert

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time:

A graham cracker crust is topped with a luscious layer of pumpkin fluff for a light and tasty, easy-peasy pumpkin pie alternative.

Raise your hand if you look forward to dessert as much as the feast at Thanksgiving! We tend to have an assortment of pies at our house each year: sweet potato or pumpkin pie, pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream, apple pie and whatever else anyone brings to share. The more dessert, the better!

There is one non-pie that makes an appearance every so often and it’s a No-Bake Pumpkin Dessert that my mom got from a community cookbook she inherited from her Aunt Ede. It’s so easy and a great alternative if you don’t want to fuss with making pie crust or if you want to serve a lighter dessert or something a little different than pie. It can also be portioned into martini or wine glasses, fancy dessert dishes or my personal favorite…vintage tea cups. You can’t do that with pie now can you?

Tea cups are not just for tea! Don’t they make darling dessert dishes?

The recipe for “Pumpkin Dessert” comes from “Favorite Recipes from AAUW” which was published in the early 1970s. Community cookbooks like this are such a treasure trove of tried-and-true recipes and this one includes a collection of recipes from the members of the American Association of University Women’s branch in Silver Bay, Minn. where our beloved Aunt Ede lived and taught for many years. She was no doubt a leader and active member of this local organization and many of her own recipes are featured throughout the cookbook.

My Aunt Ede’s cookbook has now made its way to my collection of vintage community and church cookbooks.
The original recipe for Pumpkin Dessert. I love how it notes “Can sprinkle crushed peanut brittle over cream for special occasions.”

While the original recipe for Pumpkin Dessert works great, I made a few updates to fill a 9 x 13 pan. (Remember, the more dessert the better?!). I simply increased the ingredient amounts to use a full package of marshmallows, a whole can of pumpkin and a complete pint of whipping cream. There will be extra whipped cream left over but it all works out in the end as you can use it to top your dessert. Plus, can you ever have too much whipped cream?!

Even though this particular recipe is not attributed to Ede in the cookbook, I think of her every time I make it as it is representative of many of her dishes and style of cooking: simple, not too fussy and darn delicious!

Aunt Ede enjoying some sort of fabulous dessert herself!

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No-Bake Pumpkin Dessert

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

A graham cracker crust is topped with a luscious layer of pumpkin fluff for a light and tasty, easy-peasy pumpkin pie alternative.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups crushed graham crackers, appx 14 full-size graham crackers
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 bag large marshmallows
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pint whipping cream

Method

  • 1)

    Melt butter and brown sugar; combine with graham cracker crumbs until all the crumbs are nicely moistened.

  • 2)

    Pour 3/4 of the crumbs in a 9 x 13 pan and pat down with the back of a spoon or measuring cup.  Reserve the remaining crumbs to add to the top of the dessert. Chill in fridge for at least a half hour before adding the pumpkin fluff mixture.

  • 3)

    Cook marshmallows, pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and salt over low heat until marshmallows are melted; be careful not to scorch.  Set aside to bring to room temperature or put in fridge to speed up the process.

  • 4)

    While the crust and pumpkin fluff mixture are chilling, make the whipped cream. (To make whipped cream, pour pint of heavy cream into mixer and beat at high speed until the magic of whipped cream happens!)

  • 5)

    Fold about 3 cups of whipped cream into pumpkin mixture and pour over top of graham cracker crust. Reserve remaining whipped cream for topping the dessert when serving. Note: you will want to add a splash of vanilla and a tablespoon of powdered sugar to the remaining whipped cream to sweeten it up.

  • 6)

    Sprinkle remaining  graham cracker crumbs on top.

  • 7)

    Refrigerate, serve with whipped cream.

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