Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

I like cobblers and crumbles.  It's one of my favorite ways to cook up apples and peaches.  So I was intrigued when I saw a recipe for pumpkin cobbler.  The original post described it as a lava cake.  Yeah, I had to give this a try.

It's simple to make; don't even need to pull out the mixer.  At worst, if it's over baked, there's just less sauce.  I really like how it came out:  warm cake, gooey caramel sauce and crunchy nuts.  I made it for Christmas - it was a hit with everyone.  The cobbler is delicious on it's own, but even better with ice cream or whipped cream.  And it never hurts to throw a few chocolate chips on it. 

Of course I played with the recipe.  I liked the texture best using whole wheat flour (it was a prettier color, too).  Halving the recipe worked well, but making it smaller than that messed up the consistency.  There's a lot of sugar, so I tried cutting down the sugar (and water) of the topping.  I lost almost all the caramel sauce.  Sadness.  It worked better removing the sugar from the batter. 

This is the full-sugar version - modify as you see fit.  And enjoy!

Deep baking dish - look at all the sauce on the bottom

Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler
(adapted from Lauren's Latest)

1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon cloves
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup chopped pecans
1½ cups very hot water

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices.  Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk and vanilla together to combine.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter.  Spread into an 8-inch square casserole dish with high sides.  (If it doesn't have high sides, place dish on a cookie sheet in case it overflows.)

In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and brown sugar.  Sprinkle the pecans over the batter, then spread the sugar evenly on top.  Pour hot water over all the batter.  DO NOT STIR.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the middle is set.  Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.  Serve with more pecans and vanilla ice cream.