Tag Archive | bars

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Oct1

Plated Pumpkin BarsAs soon as the air starts to get crisp and the leaves start to turn, I start dreaming of my favorite fall recipes; hearty soups and stews, apple cider, and wedges of these gloriously amazing pumpkin bars. What makes these bars extra special is that they a cross between a pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie. These pumpkin bars are so good that they were once heroically saved during a fire that accidentally ignited while I was camping in Yellowstone National Park with friends. Everyone was scrambling to put out the fire but several of the guys screamed for us to save the pumpkin bars, something we still laugh about to this day. As the guys put it afterward, “Thankfully, no pumpkin bars were harmed in the fire.” I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup cinnamon applesauce
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar together for several minutes until nicely whipped and creamy.

creamed egg and sugar

Add the applesauce, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.

Added pumpkin

Gradually add the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients until well blended.

finished mixture

3. Pour batter into a greased jelly roll or sheet pan (15×10″).

Batter in pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. If you don’t have a jelly roll or sheet pan or you prefer thicker bars, you can also bake in a 9×13″ for 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin bars baked

***Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.***

4. Frosting: Whip together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Gradually whip in the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is a thick frosting.

Combined frosting

5. Frost the cooled bars and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Plated Pumpkin Bars

Cherry Pie Bars

Jul15

Plated Cherry BarsFirst off, these cherry pie bars are seriously good and super easy to make! When I whip up a batch of them I’m immediately transported into one of my favorite kitchens in the world—my dear friend Rosel’s in Haßloch Pfalz, Germany. She lived in my neighborhood growing up and was my Mom’s best friend so became like a second mom to me. She loved cooking and baking and nurtured those passions in me.
Ironically, this recipe is American and was featured in Taste of Home magazine. I brought several cooking magazines with me when I visited several years ago and I made these cherry bars for Rosel and her family. They all hailed it a great culinary triumph and begged for me to make them again and again while I was there.
So what makes these cherry pie bars so special? These bars are cakey and rich and spiked with delicious cherries and almonds. They really are heavenly! After telling Tom the story behind this recipe, I whipped up a batch for him and he said he totally understood what all the fuss was about. 🙂

Cherry Pie Bars

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling
  • 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds

Glaze: 

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add extracts and lemon juice. Add the flour in gradually, mixing well.

Batter in bowl

2. Grease a bar or jelly roll pan or, if you prefer thicker cherry bars, use a 9×13. Spread 3 cups of the batter onto the bottom of the pan, reserving the rest for spooning on top.

Batter in pan

Cover batter with the cherry pie filling.

Cherry on top of batter

Sprinkle almonds over the top and then drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top of the of the filling and almonds.

spoonfuls of batter over the top

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake part is golden brown. Note: If using a 9×13 the baking time will be longer. 

Baked cherry bars

4. While bars are cooling, prepare the icing. Mix the ingredients for the icing in a small bowl and drizzle over the cooled cherry bars.

Cherry Bars

Enjoy!