The Covered Dish - Pumpkin Pie Bars

It’s that time of year where every cook says Pumpkin or Apple, Apple or Pumpkin? This week the pumpkin won out and next week, the apple will most likely take center stage.  Either/or it means soul warming comfort foods as we enter the fall season.   Like many of you this is my favorite time of the year.  I purchased my first pumpkin flavored creamer about a week ago, it’s gone, and a new one is in its place. 
I’m supposed to be making a crockpot of apple butter this weekend, but the apples may not reach the ‘pot’.  All kinds of fall dishes keep catapulting through my brain and I feel like I need a lasso to reign things in a bit.  The enticement is going to be hard especially as the temperatures begin to cool.  Beans and cornbread, chili, bonfires, apple pie, hayrides, football, chili dogs and family time, it’s here!  
The Pumpkin Bar recipe can be found in my very first cookbook.  It’s a very simple format for bar brownies, based upon the top and bottom basically being the same, just applied differently.  For the base we pack the crumble and for the top we ‘sprinkle’ the mixture.  Bring on the pumpkin and cream cheese for the filling.   Wait, wait, I have homemade apple butter still on hand!  You got it, I may be flipping this filling out to an apple butter filling, why not?  Change out the pumpkin spice for perhaps cinnamon and a bit of cloves and poof a new presentation is born.  
Cranberry Bars?  Yes, I’m thinking so!   Everything the same except use chunky cranberry sauce, or make your own cranberry filling with a bit of sugar, orange zest, etc.  Oh yes, we are on a scary ‘roll’ at this point!   If we were smart, we would make 2-3 versions, cut them into squares and freeze for the fall & winter.  Once you have the KitchenAid out making the crumble, just keep going!  I won’t spill the beans yet, but a new Christmas flavor just burst into play, and I’m totally ready to start a few pans of these yummies.  
There’s much to get accomplished on my home-front, so I’ll bid everyone adieu and dive into another project or two before the day escapes.  Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Pumpkin Pie Bars
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) cold butter
1 cup old-fashioned or quick cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a 9 x 13 pan with foil; grease or spray the lining of the pan.  Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry head or pastry cutter.  Cutting to blend until it resembles coarse crumbs, stir in oats and pecans.  Reserve one cup of the mixture for the top.  Press remaining into the bottom of the pan pressing into place.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  
Beat softened cream cheese and add the 1/2 cup of sugar, eggs, pumpkin and pumpkin spice.  When well blended pour over the base crumbs, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of crumb mixture over the top.  Bake for approximately 
25 minutes.
After the bars have cooled completely lift them from the pan by lifting the aluminum foil.  Cut with a sharp knife into 24 bars, prepare for the refrigerator or freezer at this time.  Be sure and place a thin chopping board under the aluminum foil before you begin to cut.