My hubby always spoke of enjoying baked acorn squashes that his mom used to make when he was a child. Squash is in the same “category” as some melons, such as cantaloupe for me, that I’ve just never been able to like.

I can eat pumpkin pie and I LOVE watermelon, which to me is completely different than the other common melons, but the rest of the squash and melon family I have a lot of trouble with! 

I’ve gotten to tolerate zucchini MUCH more than ever before, so when I read it was Acorn Squash season, I asked my hubby to pick one up at the store if he happened to see one. 

I was thrilled, and nervous, when he came back from his always “unique” adventure at Walmart declaring that they happened to have two of them and he bought one, leaving the only other one for the next person. 😉

I was thankful that he bought just the one and thought it kind of him to leave the other one, and REALLY relieved that in case I didn’t care for it, that we wouldn’t end up with a bunch of extra.

Ultimately, I decided that I’d just make one pretty one and pile all of it into one half all for him! 🙂 I’d try one bite or two, but I wanted to make this extra special for him to cheer him up a little. 😉

I made out the recipe for 2 whole acorn squashes, though, so that way you can make 4 halves, or two big ones. 

After asking how my hubby’s mom made it, (which seemed to be just butter, brown sugar and maple syrup), I decided to kick it up a bit and do a take on “pumpkin pie”.

He said he didn’t care for the maple syrup in hers, so first thing, I switched that out for some pure clover honey by my favorite brand, Sue Bee!! I love their honeys and they make some killer good barbecue sauce, too! Can’t go wrong with pure honey! 😉 😀  

So I did a nice mixture of real butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla, honey, and lots of warm autumn spices! I spread it all around inside the cavities where I scooped out the seeds, and just a little around the top edges.

I popped them into the oven with a little water so that the skins wouldn’t burn, and soon the house was smelling like pumpkin pie!! 😀  

My hubby walked into the kitchen towards the end of the baking time and said, “Is that the squash?? It smells like pie!!!! My mom’s never smelled like that!” 😀 <– He said with a smile so big he looked like he was eating a banana sideways. 

Oh, where, oh, where, is my video camera when I need it.  

So I scooped it all out carefully into a bowl, stirred it all up, and piled it back into one half. But I thought it needed something a bit more. It looked….”unfinished”. So I decided to make up a quick streusel topping with a little hint of spice.  

 I baked it again to set the topping, and finished off the top with a light sprinkling of finely chopped pecans.

Then, lastly, I gave it the “Midas touch” with a nice drizzle of Sue Bee Honey across the top!

My hubby was in 7th heaven! He even said, and I quote for the record, “This is way better than my mom’s!”

Success!!!! 😀 No better compliment in the world than that, because his mom was a wonderful cook! 🙂 This not only would make for a show-stopping dessert, but it would also be fabulous for a brunch, too.

You can of course make 4 small halves, or you can do like I did and make two gorgeous ones! But remember, if making big ones, they are a meal in themselves. 😉  

So I hope acorn squash is something that you enjoy and they are available in your area now, too! I never did try a finished bite, but I did have a taste of the filling from the bowl and it was delicious!! 😀 Next time I might just make a small one for myself! 😉 😀

I hope you give my recipe a try, it’s such a wonderful “welcome to fall” dish that everyone is sure to enjoy! Have a wonderful day all, and I’ll see you tomorrow! ~Kelly

Yield: 2-4

Streusel Top "Pumpkin Pie" Stuffed Acorn Squash Drizzled with Honey

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 acorn squashes
• 4 Tbl. soft butter
• 4 Tbl. dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbl. Sue Bee Clover Honey
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• dash of salt

Streusel Topping:

• 2 Tbl. cold butter, cut up into small pieces
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbl. sugar
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Garnishes:

• 2-4 tsp. chopped pecans
• 2-4 Tbl. honey
• whipped cream, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

With a very sharp large knife, slice acorn squashes in half through stem end to pointed end, scoop out seeds and scrape center hole clean until smooth removing stringy parts.

In small bowl, with fork, mash and stir the rest of upper ingredients until well mixed. Divide into fourths, and spread onto insides of squashes smearing a little on top edges as well. Place into baking dish. *If any want to lay sideways, use a little scrunched up foil to keep level.

Into the baking dish, pour in cold water until there's a 1/2" in bottom to prevent squash skins from burning. Pop into preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until very tender.

While squashes are baking, in small bowl mix streusel ingredients with fingers, breaking up butter, and tossing together until pea-sized. Or you can use a pastry blender. Keep cold in fridge until needed.

When squashes are done, remove and let cool a bit. When skins have cooled enough that you won't burn your fingers, spoon out butter/sugar sauce and acorn flesh carefully, leaving a 1/4" to keep shell firm, and place into a medium-sized bowl. Stir well until creamy and mixed. Pile back into either 2 acorn shells or make smaller ones and spoon into all four. Sprinkle tops well with streusel topping. Pop back into oven in dry baking dish, and bake at 400 degrees for another 8-10 minutes.

Place onto serving plates and garnish with chopped pecans, drizzle well with honey, and top with whipped cream if desired. Serve warm.