Pumpkin Bars

This has been a favourite of my family for years. I've been making them since the 80's when I discovered them on a visit to my dear Aunt Joyce in Clear Lake, Iowa. She had a tray of them in the kitchen and was trying to keep my three cousins from pinching them. I pestered her for the recipe and they've been an autumn treat in my house ever since.

Here in the UK, canned or tinned pumpkin is not readily available so we have make our own pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin to be used next to an orange so you can see how big the pumpkins should be.

This is what you have to do: Choose a small pumpkin about 7 inches in diameter. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and guts. Place the pumpkin halves on a baking tray, cut side down, and place in a moderate (180 C or 350 F) until it is baked. The skin will have started to go brown and it will be soft when you poke it. My oven takes about 35 minutes. You will find that your kitchen will be filled with that glorious warm smell of baking pumpkin that just screams out domestic tranquility and harmony. I defy anybody to pick a fight in a kitchen that smells of baking pumpkin! Mmm - baked pumpkin!

You can use a larger pumpkin, but I find that aside from being good for carving, they're not that hot for culinary uses. They're too watery. If you do use a larger pumpkin, you simply will have to drain the water from the baking tray from time to time as you are baking.

Scrape the flesh of the pumpkin into a food processor and discard the shell. Whizz the pumpkin flesh in the food processor until it is all smooth and lump free.

Now on to the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl put in:

2 cups of plain or all purpose flour
1 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves


Mix the dry ingredients. Then make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add in:

4 beaten eggs
1 16-ounce can of pumpkin OR
the pumpkin puree you've just made * I weighed my last batch of pumpkin puree and it came to 4oo grams or 13 British ounces *
1 cup cooking oil (use corn oil - olive oil makes it taste odd)

Beat this until it is smooth and lump free. I use my trusty electric beater for this. Beating it by hand takes ages.

At this point, I usually carry the bowl of orange pumpkin bar batter around the house for everybody to have a sniff because it smells so great!

Pour the batter into an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan and pop it into your oven (350 F or 180 C).

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove when the top has become slightly browned. I usually pull it out when I think it is done and give it a light touch on the top. If it feels firm, then it is done. If it is still a little mushy underneath, pop it right back in for another 10 minutes. Look! This is done to perfection! Shame you can't smell it!

When the bars are finished, pull the tray out and let it cool for about 2 hours.

Then you can frost it with Cream Cheese icing!

------------------------

Cream Cheese Icing

Blend together in a bowl:
6 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup of softened butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift in:

2 cups of powdered or confectioners sugar

Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar (another 1 or 2 cups) until it reaches a spreading consistency.

Spread the icing on the uncut pumpkin bars and then slice them up. They'll lift out of the pan like a dream.
---------------------------

Applesauce Bars or Applebutter Bars

Use the above recipe but substitute a 16 oz jar of applesauce for the pumpkin and don't frost them as they'll be sweet enough.

You can also try making it with a jar of Apple butter and omitting the spices in the dry mix (see recipe below)! Those are fantastic!!