Falling for Pumpkin (Pumpkin Crumb Bars)

Time moves quickly.  The leaves have begun to change and fall to the ground, the weather turned chilly and this morning midterm reports were due.  I have applied to college, I am playing in my last County Tournament for field hockey and attending my final few high school football games.  While these lasts may seem upsetting, they are also promising.  Next year I could be playing field hockey on a club team in college, I could be listening to a professor that will change my life or I could be attending a Big 10 school where thousands upon thousands of spectators are watching the game.  Whether I am a plane, a bus or simply a drive away, my love for certain aspects of life will always remain.

Fall foods are reminiscent of my childhood.  Thanksgiving in July as my mom filmed television shows was delicious! See if you can spot me on any Andrea Immer reruns (if her show still runs…)  These bars are the beginning of my collection of fall recipes for 2010–and oh boy does this season start with a BANG! I couldn’t quite name them because there are so many different textures and flavors running through my mouth.  There is the dense cake/ cookie crust, the gooey and sweet filling and the crumby and cinnamon-y topping. But let me just show you how amazing these are:

The ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix, softened butter, melted butter, eggs, sugar, flour, milk, cinnamon, and Pecan-Pumpkin Butter

Remove 1 cup of cake mix from the box and set aside

Add the cake mix, melted butter and 1 of the eggs to a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment

Mix until fully combined

Press into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan and set aside

Now time for the filling! The pumpkin part!!!!

In a mixing bowl, combine a jar of pumpkin butter, 2 eggs, and milk.

Mix until all combined

Then spread on top of the previous layer already in the pan

Crumble time!

In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, mix the one cup of reserved cake mix with 1/2 cup of softened butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon

Mix until crumble texture–butter should break up into little bitty pieces coated with the dry ingredients

Use your fingers to break up any large clumpbs and sprinkle all over the pumpkin layer

Then place in a 350* oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown

It will be extremely difficult to ignore the seductive smell, but allow the bars to cool.  Once cool, cut them in the pan and remove one by one.  Look at those layers!!!!

I had to put on a sweater just to go outside and take these pictures.  However, the brisk weather was so refreshing! Light fall jackets are my favorite accessory

These were for a team dinner at my house–and oh boy were they a success! All gone…

With love and cupcakes,
Cookteen

 

 

Tagged as: bars, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, william-sonoma