I love gingerbread. I love applesauce. I love recipes that include pumpkin or winter squash. So I love this recipe for gingerbread.

Applesauce or Pumpkin Gingerbread

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup applesauce  or pureed pumpkin or winter squash
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and spices. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, applesauce/squash/pumpkin, melted butter, and molasses. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Bake in a greased 9×13 inch pan at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes.

This is not an overly sweet recipe, but you might want to reduce the sugar a little if you use sweetened applesauce.

This gingerbread is delicious served warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (easy to get locally-produced versions of these here in Vermont). It also still tastes great the next day, if there is any left.

Here’s the local analysis for the batch I made the other day:

Local — eggs, butter, milk (from local farms, bought at the co-op), acorn squash (from the CSA)

Non local — flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, spices, molasses