Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Pumpkin Bars

I know you need another pumpkin recipe like you need a hole in your head. I am currently working on a pumpkin angel food cake recipe for a friend and had a little pumpkin left over that I had to use right away.

I have a recipe for pumpkin bars but it called for more pumpkin than I had. What to do? “Google” pumpkin bars of course!

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. It’s actually not that bad for you; very little fat for the amount of bars it yields. The recipe title is misleading though, when I think of bars, I think brownies or blondies. These little “bars” are more like cake, …pumpkin snack cake maybe? What ever these are they are quite delicious with a cup of coffee. Happy baking!

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

Preparation
1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan. [I used a 15x10x2 pan]

2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

3. Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.

4. Bake in a 350° oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.

Makes 24 bar

14 comments:

Deborah said...

I can never have too much pumpkin!! These sound and look delicious!

Peabody said...

Great looking swirls!

Henny A. said...

love the photos of your cake "bars". Cooking Light has some pretty good recipes, don't they?

Cookie baker Lynn said...

My only problem with the bounty of pumpkin recipes is which to make first! Yours looks delicious.

Gigi said...

Augustina: I agree, Cooking Light has great recipes and magazine.

Katie said...

They look so stylish. I love the two colours swirled together. I bet they taste amazing.

Unknown said...

You can't ever go wrong with pumpkin that's for sure! Those look so lovely! And the swirled cream cheese - heavenly!

Chez Us said...

Thanks for visiting our site. Yours looks great. I love your pumpkin bars - will have to try them out!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I bought a sugar pie pumpkin, I need to make something exciting like this!

Anonymous said...

I love the marbled look on these bars! :)

Mallow said...

You can't have too much pumpkin - no such thing! Those look like some pumpkin cheesecake muffins I love but have no recipe for... I may have to give them a try.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! These look so different and so good. I have a thing I have to bring treats to next week. I think I just found what I'll take!

Fin-ish Me Cupcakes said...

YOur pumpkin bars are beautiful!! I wonder what would they taste like as cupcakes???

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

<33333333 pumpkin!