Michelle Darmody: If you like pumpkin spice lattes, you'll love these recipes

Try pumpkin and maple syrup squares or a pumpkin and pomegranate loaf

Pumpkin is a versatile baking ingredient. 

Pumpkins are just appearing on shop shelves at this time of year. For all of these recipes, you can use butternut squash in their place if that is easier to get hold of.

To make the pumpkin purée, peel and deseed the pumpkin and cut it into chunks, steam the chunks until soft, then mash them to a puree consistency. I usually allow this to cool before adding it to recipes. The pumpkin purée serves a few purposes in baking, it adds sweetness and moisture but it also adds a smooth, creamy texture to cakes or buns.