Happy “almost” Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful week filled with lots of happiness and holiday cheer. As promised, this week is all about food. It’s been a while since I posted a recipe and this time, I dedicate an entire post to dessert.
For many, the holidays are about catching up with family and friends, reliving old memories and creating new ones. For others it’s simply about the food. But for me, it’s a combination of the two. Between the turkey and cranberry sauce, and pecan and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday and meal of the year.
As a little girl, my family would gather from across the country (but mostly from across Texas) and celebrate Thanksgiving together as one big happy family. And yes, I mean BIG. After more than 20 years of celebrating the holiday with 50+ family members, Thanksgiving holds a very special place in my heart.
This year, I’m going to two Thanksgiving dinners. Boyfriend and I will spend time with both of our families and I can pretty much guarantee that I will be in desperate need of a nap after stuffing my face… twice.
What am I making this year? PUMPKIN BARS. I briefly mentioned this in a previous post and let’s be honest, how can you go wrong with a dessert recipe courtesy of Paula Deen? I make these every year and they are simply divine, always sure to be the yummiest dessert at the table.
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Ingredients:
* 4 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 15-ounce can pumpkin
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
* Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
* To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.
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While the recipe refers to these as “pumpkin bars,” I plan on putting a little spin on these this year to create something new. Stay tuned for pics!
- L
