The Christmas trees are up, Starbucks has debuted their gingerbread and eggnog flavors, 103.7 has turned into the "Christmas station," and ABC Family's 25 days of Christmas is in full swing. I'm sure you've decked your halls as well, so let the holiday baking commence!
While today's recipe might not scream Christmas, it received rave reviews and was a crowd pleaser at the Thanksgiving dessert table. Just because it features pumpkin does not mean it should be sequestered to just Halloween or Thanksgiving. Embrace the pumpkin and feel free to make these bars for your Christmas gatherings. They will not disappoint!
I know I've adequately (perhaps redundantly) expressed my affinity (slash obsession) for all things pumpkin in previous posts, but I can't say I've ever really been a die hard pumpkin pie pan. Therefore, I'm always looking for pumpkin dessert alternatives to replace the traditional pumpkin pie. I've made double layer pumpkin pie for many a Thanksgiving and I've also whipped up batches of pumpkin cookies (thanks China) and pumpkin bread. These are all good and well, but I think I might have found a new favorite...or at the very least, a worthy alternative.
This recipe comes from a fellow southerner who embraces all things butter and fried, the one and only Paula Deen. While I tend to stray away from her normal dishes (preferring the likes of Ina, Giada or Bobby), she is one saucy minx, so I do turn to her for dessert ideas. After all, dessert really isn't worth having if it's not laced with copious amounts of butter and sugar. Am I right or am I right?
Today's Tasty Tuesday recipe is for pumpkin gooey butter cakes. I did cut back on the amount of sugar the recipe originally called for and I'm glad I did. The bars were certainly not lacking in the sweetness department.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, melted
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg (I didn't use this because I didn't have any on hand...gasp)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and beat until well blended. Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
3. Beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter and mix well.
5. Mix in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend thoroughly.
6. Spread over the cake mixture and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
Since I had not made this recipe before, it was a tad tricky trying (check out that alliteration) to determine the doneness of the cake. I ended up baking it a few minutes longer, but I think they still turned out marvelously.
As you can see in the pic below, the finished product features a crust layer, a sort of thin cheesecake layer and a pumpkin pie layer. Holy yum!
Make sure to stay tuned to Tasty Tuesdays this month for more of my favorite seasonal recipes!
1 comment:
someone just made these for us this week! Crazy. Freeland like them. Glad you had such a great thanksgiving!!!
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