Tara’s Fave Fall Recipes: Pumpkin Bars

Oh, fall baking. This is one of my favorite things ever. I love baking all throughout the holidays, however. There's something particularly wonderful about the almost magical smells we incorporate into our cakes, pies, stuffings, and...I could go on. I have a few fall recipes that, if I had to pick, would "fall" into my top ten favorite recipes for autumn.

Obviously, pumpkin is a star ingredient this time of year, so allow me to share my favorite pumpkin recipe with you. (Well, one of them.)

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup walnut oil

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin (organic, if possible)

2 c. sugar (I like to make one of these cups brown sugar, but you can experiment)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

2 c. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon (I usually add more, though)

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 c. walnuts (optional, but YUM)

Directions:

Mix eggs, oil, and pumpkin in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured pan (12 x 18 inch) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure you let cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, combine:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

6 T. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

ENJOY.