And the winners are…(now including the winning recipe!)

Pumpkin Butter Linzertorte

Gabbi Haber

Pumpkin butter:

1 ½ C pumpkin puree
½ C apple juice
¼ C brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
¼ t ground cloves
¼ t ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 minutes, until mixture thickens. Let cool.

Crust:
1 ½ C flour
1 ½ C toasted walnuts
¾ C sugar
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
¾ C unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg
1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 9″ spring-form pan. In a food processor, combine flour, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, and salt until crumbly. Add the butter cubes and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg and yolk and pulse until dough comes together.

Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and 1 ½” up the sides. Lightly wet hands if dough sticks to them. Spread pumpkin butter evenly over the bottom crust. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining dough and cut circles with a 3″ biscuit cutter. Arrange circles overlapping on top of the pumpkin butter. Alternatively, roll dough into long ropes and arrange in a lattice.

Add about a tablespoon of water to the reserved egg white and brush the top crust with this egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.