Fall is finally in the air! Where would fall be without pumpkins? Today I’m sharing one of my favorite pumpkin recipes… Pumpkin Gooey Bars.
As you may have guessed, this recipe is inspired by Ms Paula Deen. Having lived in Savannah I guess I’m kind of obligated to have her cookbooks. 😉 Two things I love about Ms Paula:
#1- She reminds me of being in a cozy kitchen cooking with your mom
#2- Watching her it always reminds me of being in Savannah.
While I grew up in Illinois, Savannah just has a very special place in my heart. I’ve never had the opportunity to really meet her, although I believe she did bounce over to our table at The Lady and Sons to check on how we were enjoying our meal. This was at the former… much smaller location, before she was a huge TV celebrity. It was also over a decade ago… pre-kids. I dare say that with my “baby-dumb” that hasn’t seemed to really go away, my memory is a tad fuzzy. I do remember the food was good, the staff was very nice, and the atmosphere was quaint. 🙂
Back to the gooey bars… this is actually an “alternate” of her Gooey Butter Cake recipe. One of the things that I found I had to adjust immediately was the sugar in the filling. I know, I know… it’s not very southern of me to reduce the sugar, but hey, the butter is still ALL there.
Another thing I finally took the time to do was measure out how much spice I use instead of just doing it “to taste”. Finally, I have figured out a recipe for how to make it without needing a boxed cake mix. This way, as long as I have pumpkin, I can just make them with ingredients from my pantry.
I can seriously get away with bringing these to Thanksgiving in lieu of pumpkin pie. My brothers usually take the platter out of my hands as I’m walking in and I have to keep an eye on where they go, otherwise there will be no bars for anyone else. I should probably start making them their own batch. My whole family loves them and they’re easy to make. I’m not really a pie baker… still need to spread my wings there. If you’re like me in that department, these are really a great alternative.
Grab a PSL {pumpkin spice latte, y’all}, hot cocoa, or your favorite hot tea and enjoy some Pumpkin Gooey Bars… oh, and don’t forget the whip cream!
xox Roxana- The Red Eye Baker
- CRUST
- 2 1/4 c flour
- 1 1/2 c sugar
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 T vanilla
- 1/4 c milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted
- PUMPKIN FILLING
- 1- 8 oz brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 3/4 c (8 oz) powdered sugar
- 1- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 13 x 9″ baking pan.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Using a hand mixer on low, beat in the vanilla, milk, and egg. Lastly, add the melted butter and keep mixing until all the dry mix is incorporated. It will be thick, like a cookie dough.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan, set aside and prepare the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition then add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl making sure that everything gets mixed in.
- Spread the filling over the crust and bake in a preheated oven for 40 – 50 minutes. The center should be gooey, do not overbake.
- Cool completely and slice into squares.
- *IF you happen to have leftover bars, they should be stored in the fridge.
For more deliciousness by Roxana, check out these recipes (and stay tuned y’all! She’s launching her own blog!!). Here’s a sneak peek at her new blog name:
