Delights of the Season

There is so much to love about autumn. The delights of the season offer us cool, crisp breezes blowing through the open window, colorful gourds lining the path to our front door, simmering spices on the stove and a plentiful harvest of fruits and vegetables. Not to mention rows and rows of pumpkins...canned...arranged in pretty displays at the grocery store. I view this harvest, both inside and out, as an opportunity to stock up on my favorite squash-like fruit to keep the season alive the whole year through. And we all know what I wouldn't do for a bite of pumpkin. (Answer: Not much)

This afternoon I had a hankering for a little something sweet. For some reason, all the sophisticated adult treats had vanished from their special hiding places. I know what you're thinking...how did I let this happen? Since Xavier's fruit snacks and Emerson's pureed Hawaiian dessert wasn't going to satisfy my need to dive into a sugar-induced coma, I knew I was going to have to whip up my own batch of afternoon delight. Since I had two cups of pumpkin going to - dare I say it - waste in my fridge, my spirits lifted as I was only minutes from serving up my taste buds a little pumpkin bar batter with a side of cream cheese frosting. Although I was going to have to wait a few hours to savor the final product, I rejoiced that the wait time was nearly cut in half thanks to a speedy quick freeze setting on my deep freezer. In the mean time, I would have to be satisfied licking, or in my case, French kissing a beater or two until I could sink my teeth into some pumpkiny goodness. Fortunately for me, I am a batter connoisseur and I am the first to admit that I eat my fair share of raw eggs and surprisingly live to tell about it.

A few years ago when I was living in Provo, a neighbor shared this super easy pumpkin bar recipe with me. It was the highlight at a Relief Society fall social. Now it has become one of my favorites to make this time of year. Did I mention it is slathered with homemade cream cheese frosting? I promise you will lick the bowl after you mix up a batch. You might even save some on your chin and forehead for later. And...I add chocolate chips because, hey, what's a dessert without chocolate? I bake the bars and then set them in the freezer to make for easy decorating. You could let them cool the traditional way, too, but I find that the bars remain soft and create a frosting layer speckled with orange crumbs. This recipe makes a lot of bars, which is a good thing for me since I have to eat ten of them just to make sure the rest are okay to hand out to friends and family.

To make this sweet bar o' sugar you will need:
1 can 15 oz. pumpkin
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 bag chocolate chips (I use the large Ghirardelli chips.)

Mix all the ingredients and pour into a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and then frost with homemade cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (I use unsalted.)
2 Tbsp. milk (Use more or less depending upon the consistency you like)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

This makes a great dessert for a fall get-together or for neighbor treat plates. So try it tonight and see what you think. Everyone loves a happy little pumpkin, especially when it's kissed with bite-size chunks of chocolate.