A Healthy Balance: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Yesterday, I was feeling really domestic and got the urge to bake. Obviously, I wanted to make something involving pumpkin.

I found this Pumpkin Bar recipe a few years ago and have made them every Thanksgiving since then. They've always been a crowd-pleaser! I love this recipe because it's easy and relatively quick to make. The bars are super fluffy and moist (sorry to everyone who hates that word), and the icing is creamy and delicious!

It isn't exactly my healthiest recipe ever, but I did use 1/3 less fat cream cheese- that counts for something right? Next time I might try mixing 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce, and use 2 eggs + 1 egg white to lighten things up. I also think OJ and orange zest might be a nice addition to the icing. Or maybe chopped pecans. Ohhhh, the possibilities.

Ingredients:

Bars:

4 eggs
1 2/3 C granulated sugar
1 C vegetable oil
15 oz can pumpkin
2 C sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Icing:

8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
2 C sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Everything you need.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

1) Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy.

2) Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

3) Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at a low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

4) Spread the batter into a greased 13 x 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Note: I probably ended up baking them about 40 minutes until the middle was done.

5) While the bars are baking, make the icing. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.