Fall = Comfort Food
Hey, Jessica here! I don’t know about you, but “falling back” always puts me in the mood for comfort food. For me, that means lots of soup and family recipes with fond memories. We’ll get right into the recipes, and avoid the usual, two page,“food blog story” that precedes most recipes!
Pumpkin Bars are my very favorite thing. don't make these very often, because, I could easily eat the entire pan. My mom still makes these for me on my birthday, they are that good. I’m a frosting person, so I usually double the frosting recipe to create a fluffier layer of goodness. If you are not a frosting person, these are equally delicious with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Pumpkin Bars
Wet Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
15oz pureed pumpkin
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Frosting:
3oz cream cheese, softened (can use non-dairy)
3/4 stick butter, softened (can use non-dairy)
1 TBSP milk (can use non-dairy)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet and dry ingredients, until well mixed. Pour into greased, 9x13 pan. For thinner bars (and to make twice as many), you can use two cookie sheets/bar pans. Bake for 25-30min. (Less time for thinner pans.)
While bars are in the oven, make the frosting. Cream butter and cream cheese together, add vanilla and milk. Slowly add powdered sugar to the wet mixture. Set aside.
Let bars cool completely before frosting. Once frosted, let set for about an hour before cutting and removing from the pan.
Serves 10-12
My other go-to is minestrone soup. I have been making this Rachel Ray recipe for years and it’s always a hit. You can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the pancetta. This is also a perfect recipe to make for friends. I purchased large mason jars for easy porch drop offs. I always keep these kraft containers on hand for gifting baked goods to neighbors and friends as well- perfect for the pumpkin bars!