Pumpkin Bar Recipe

I kept a few seeds from the pumpkin and planted it this spring.
Here are the first leaves.  I can't wait to harvest my own
German/Russian pumpkin this fall.

Last fall a good friend of mine gave me a pumpkin that had been grown by her German relatives, who then moved to Russia, escaped Russia before Stalin and the mass murder of so many people and brought their pumpkin seeds with them to America. Her mother still grows the pumpkins and collects the seeds every year.  I wish I had taken a picture, because this pumpkin was ugly, but boy did it make a good pumpkin filling.  

I brought pumpkin bars to a 4-H meeting this past month and everyone seemed to really like them. (This reminds me I need to get the recipe to a few of the mothers who asked for it.)  The recipe came from a cookbook of my husband's grandmother, but as usual I tweaked it a bit.  An extra egg, less oil, whole wheat flour, a lot more pumpkin (seriously, they are named pumpkin bars and should have some pumpkin in don't you think?!!) and extra cinnamon because you can never have too much cinnamon.  

Pumpkin Bar Recipe

• 4 Eggs
• 1 C Oil (I use half oil and half homemade applesauce)
• 2 C Sugar
• 2 C Pumpkin
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1 t Soda
• 2 C Whole Wheat Flour* 
• 2 t Cinnamon (I use rounded teaspoons)
• 1 1/2 t Cream of Tartar and 1/2 t Baking Soda or 1 t Baking Powder

Mix the eggs, oil and sugar.  Add the pumpkin and cinnamon.  Last add the dry ingredients and mix until moist.  Grease a jelly-roll pan before pouring the batter.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Frost with cream cheese when cooled.

I need to learn to take better pictures and to purchase a set
of nice dishes.  I promise these bars taste better than they look.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1 Stick Butter
• Vanilla for flavor
• Powdered Sugar

Cream the cream cheese, butter and a bit of vanilla. Slowly stir in powdered sugar a cup at a time.  I keep adding powdered sugar until I get it to the consistency I like.  I believe it is about 3-4 cups. Whip well and frost your bars.  Oh, and try to wait for the bars to cool.  I never do, but the frosting looks better and doesn't melt if you wait.

To Make Pumpkin Filling

• First cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and all the yuck.  On a side note, I am not a squeamish person, but I loath Halloween and having to carve pumpkins.  It gives me the willies to scrape out all that nasty, stringy goo from a pumpkin; but this was much easier and not so nasty since the pumpkin was cut in half.  
• Place the pumpkin on a cake pan cut side down and add a bit of water.  
• Bake in an oven for at least an hour until soft.
• Let cool and scrape out the pumpkin.  
• Measure out the pumpkin for your favorite recipe and freeze it in individual bags.  This way every time you want to bake a batch of bars, cake or a pie just pull out a bag and thaw.  

* If using freshly ground floor add an extra 1/4 C.  I have found that when I use my finely ground flour I need to add approximately 1/4 extra flour for each 2 C called for.  If using store bought whole wheat flour I would suggest using half white flour and half of the wheat.  I find flour from the store is so heavy and bitter, but maybe I am just a bit picky.