Stuffed Pumpkin with Cranberry-Raisin Bread Pudding

Serve an impressive dinner party dessert stuffed in the season's signature fruit. This top-rated pumpkin recipe calls for all our favorite ingredients: butter, sugar, pecan, cranberries, and a rich Lemon-Vanilla Sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) pumpkin*

  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted and divided

  • 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

  • 3/4 cup half-and-half

  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

  • 1 (16-ounce) raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

  • Lemon-Vanilla Sauce

How to Make It

Step 1

Cut off top of pumpkin, reserving lid with stem. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and pulp, and reserve for another use. Brush inside of pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with lid.

Step 2

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

Step 3

Brush inside of baked pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Step 4

Stir together eggs and next 6 ingredients; spoon pudding mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.

Step 5

Bake pumpkin and bread pudding at 350° for 25 minutes. Let pumpkin cool; spoon bread pudding evenly into pumpkin shell. Serve with Lemon-Vanilla Sauce.

Step 6

Note: For individual servings, substitute 12 (1/2-pound) pumpkins. Scoop out seeds and pulp; sprinkle each pumpkin shell with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake with the bread pudding. (Do not prebake as with the larger pumpkin.) Spoon bread pudding evenly into baked pumpkin shells.

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