This recipe comes from my Auntie Karen who says she’s been making these pumpkin bars for 40 years, and to hear her tell it, she’s been making them since she was two because she is not a day over 42. Wink, wink. The first time I had these pumpkin bars was nearly a year ago at my grandmother’s funeral reception. That’s the peculiar thing about funerals: they tend to be family reunions & potlucks all rolled into one sad occasion. Truth be told, the last time I saw some of my extended family was at a cousin’s wedding 8 years prior. At another funeral a few years ago, I had another aunt say to me, “We’ve got to stop meeting this way” and yet the irony is that we both know that’s likely how it will happen. So, it was at the aforementioned reception in which many of us had these pumpkin bars and when your family requests you get this recipe, you know it’s a good one. I messaged my aunt and she posted the recipe on Facebook and one of my cousins commented: “a sweet spot on a sad day.” No need to wait for a sad day to make these because they are darned good. And bonus: dump all the ingredients into a bowl and stir.

Ingredients:

For the bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I used melted and cooled coconut oil)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsps. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups flour

For the frosting:

• 6 tbsps. butter, melted
• 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. milk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheetcake pan; set aside. Mix the above ingredients together until combined. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the bars comes out clean.

Allow to cool then make the frosting. Pour the melted butter over the cream cheese and beat together, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk and mix until smooth. Frost the bars. Enjoy!

NOTE: I overlooked the sheetcake pan and used my 9×13 pan so the frosting was a bit much for Chris. I’ll likely halve it next time.