Forgive me for the classy phone pic of the this pumpkin bar. (yes, it was done on my Pyrex lid) It’s the only thing I had to take a picture with. At least of the end result.
So, it’s almost fall. Ahh.. I wish it lasted longer. It is, by far, my favorite time of year. My husband and I were married on the first day of Autumn almost six years ago now. The colors of the trees. The smell of leaves and baking. Oh, and did I mention Pumpkin Spice Lattes??? Have I mentioned I have an love obsession with pumpkin….anything. Pumpkin bars. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin coffee. Pumpkin creamer (for the coffee!). Pumpkin smoothies. The color, pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. PUMPKIN!!!!!!!! (you know how when you repeat the same word over and over it looks funny. Pumpkin just did that for me..lol)
So, as you may guess, there will many more pumpkin recipes before the season is through (and it hasn’t even started yet!!!!)
I made these for a picnic with our Sunday School class. There were many treats there, including some Pina Colada Cupcakes. Thank you Franci!!! They were delicious! (as were all the others..there were just too many to name!)
Besides being easy to make, they feed a lot of people. Unless you’re me and eat half the pan first…okay, maybe not half the pan…but I ate quite a few! Seriously though.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (from Eat Live Run)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
24 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
For graham cracker crust:
18 graham crackers (two sleeves from the box)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Graham crackers, melted butter and sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place graham cracker in a resealable bag and crush using a rolling pin or your hands. I’ve always found this to be the best technique.
When the cracker are coarse crumbs, pour them in to a medium bowl. Add the sugar and melted butter and mix well. Pat into a 15×17 inch jelly roll pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and reduce heat to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream and vanilla.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. (I used my whisk attachment for extra fluffiness!) Slowly add the pumpkin mixture, mixing until there are no lumps and the mixture is perfectly smooth,
Pour batter onto prepared crust. Bake for 50 minutes or until edges begin to pull away slightly. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
Garnish with either homemade whipped cream, redi-whip, or cool whip. Whatever your preference.
Before being baked
Enjoy!
After being baked
The Stuffed Flamingo 