It’s that time of year when we look for recipes that include apples and pumpkins and cranberries and other fall related foods.
I needed something for teacher appreciation luncheon (my last one!). I had some cans of pumpkin on hand that I had purchased on sale. I decided to go to my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book to find a pumpkin cookie recipe. I love this cookbook and have 3 versions. The original version was published in 1968, and my oldest version is from 1974. There are recipes from each of the 3 versions that I own that I make over and over again. I love these cookbooks because they provide everyday cooks with everyday recipes using everyday ingredients.
While I didn’t find a pumpkin cookie recipe, I did find a pumpkin bar recipe for which I had all the ingredients and sounded easy to make and good to eat. After making and trying them, they passed the “share with others” test! I am making another batch this week for the Cross Country pasta dinner.
You will see in the recipe below that the ingredient list includes ground cloves. Now this may be the one item you do not have in your pantry. Ground cloves are also very good in baked beans. So if you buy some, add them to your baked beans (a little go a long way), and then wait for the compliments.
Here are the cooked pumpkin bars prior to icing. Now these are very cakelike and moist. You could serve them without icing if you wanted.
I decided to cut these into fancy diamond shapes. I’m trying not to be boring.
Here they are immediately prior to being taste tested. Yummy!
Pumpkin Bars Ingredients for bars: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. In a separate blow, stir together the eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Spread the batter into an ungreased jelly roll pan approximately sized 15 x 10 x 1 inches. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Spread cream cheese icing on top, cut into bars. Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients for icing: In a large mixing bowl with a hand or KitchenAid mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar. This will be enough to ice the tops of the pumpkin bars.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 14th edition
Makes 48 bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs, beaten
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 package)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
Enjoy some of these sometime soon!
