Pumpkin Bars

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars are the perfect cross between cake and pie. They’re rich, gooey and sure to be a hit at your Thanksgiving feast!

It’s way too early to be up. I’m heading to Washington, D.C. for the first half of this week to cover a former Indiana Congressman being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I’m so excited for the opportunity and I’m hoping to squeeze in a couple quick visits with friends in between shoots.

I’ll arrive back on Wednesday, head into work to put together a couple stories and then hit the road so I can be home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Something tells me I’ll have to squeeze a few naps in!

It’s been years since I’ve made it to my folks’ for Thanksgiving and I’m so excited to spend time with family and enjoy some of our favorite foods. My sister and I will be preparing everything but the turkey because my parents and husband are spending the day before Thanksgiving driving to Michigan and back to pick up beer advent calendars from our favorite brewery. Yes, it’s just as crazy as it sounds.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts is these delicious pumpkin bars my mom’s been making for years. The filling tastes like a slightly creamier pumpkin pie, nestled on top of a yellow cake crust. YUM!

If pies intimidate you, bake these for your holiday get together with family and friends. And have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Bars

[ingredients title=”Cake Ingredients”]

  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 8 Tbsp. butter melted

[/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Filling Ingredients”]

  • 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 8 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all of the cake ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with an electric beater. Pat mixture into the bottom of a lightly-greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.
  4. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter and beat together until combined. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix until smooth.
  5. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake 40 to 50 minutes. Do not over-bake — the center should be slightly gooey.
  6. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

[/directions]

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