Pumpkin Spice Life

Because today is Halloween and I love jumping on a good bandwagon, I thought I’d post a recipe for pumpkin bars…..for those of you who aren’t yet OVER all of the pumpkin everything.  I love pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, and the smell of pumpkin candles, but by about the 3rd week of October, I have overdosed and need a break.

 

 

Now, I realize that there are thousands of pumpkin bar recipes out there.  If you just look at your Facebook feed today, you’ll likely see a dozen.  But, this one in particular was my Mom’s recipe, and like many others, holds a museum-like space in my recipe cabinet.  It is worn, stained, and fragile, not to mention that you have to decipher Jane’s handwriting, which is no easy feat.  She made this recipe every October for me instead of a birthday cake, so it has been quality tested for 40+ years.

As you can see, the ingredients are pretty standard baking fare, with the exception of the vegetable oil.  A whole cup of it.  Does anyone even use vegetable oil anymore?  I’ve tried the recipe with canola oil as a substitution, but didn’t think it was as good.  Stick with what works.

To begin, combine the eggs, sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer…or any bowl really.

Mix until well combined.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Add to the pumpkin mixture in three batches, mixing well.

The next part is key.  The original recipe calls for a lightly greased jelly roll pan.  Back before I had a kitchen large enough to store many supplies, I tried making these in a 9×13 glass casserole.  No good.  They are too thick to cook thoroughly in the middle and you have a mess of burned edges and a raw center.  Also, I find the addition of parchment paper to the bottom of the jellyroll pan to make things so much easier.  Maybe they didn’t have parchment paper back in the 70’s when Jane first made these?

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, using a toothpick inserted in the center to ensure they are done.

Let the bars cool while you make the mother of all cream cheese frosting.  Jane’s original recipe makes a meager amount, so I always double it.  I’ve even been known to triple it.  More frosting = more  happiness.  Also, I think back in the day you were able to buy a 3 oz. package of cream cheese.  Now, you have to buy the big block, cut three ounces from it and leave the rest in your fridge to turn into a hardened brick.  So, 6 ounces it is….

The original recipe also calls for milk OR half and half.  Duh.  Always half and half.  I do not make desserts to skimp on the good stuff.  The 70’s version also uses margarine, which I don’t even keep in my house.  But, what I do have is butter….in copious amounts.

At this point in my cooking process, I failed to take any pictures of the actual frosting coming together or being applied to the bars.  Likely, two of my children were fighting or a dog was eating a shoe, which distracted me from the task at hand.  Use your imagination.

I did manage a picture of the finished product….after I sampled a few for quality control.

P.S  I will work on my food quality pictures.  I know they’re kind of lame:)

Enjoy! I won’t be posting another pumpkin recipe for a year.