Pumpkin Bumpkin

Halloween is not exactly my favorite holiday. It is a fun one, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE candy. I am just not a huge fan of dressing up. It doesn’t really help that my three year old has some strange phobia of costumes. The last three Halloweens haven’t exactly gone as I would have planned. Last year I was lucky to get him in a Lightning McQueen T-shirt instead of the adorable fire fighter costume he was “supposed” to wear.  All that aside, there is something very magical about Halloween, and I love the glow of a jack-o-lantern on the front porch.   In fact, I love almost everything PUMPKIN. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cream cheese bars, dinner in a pumpkin, pumpkin bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, roasted pumpkin seeds…I think you get the picture.

For this post I want to give you a little taste of the most wonderful pumpkin square that will ever touch your little lips. I had the privilege of first tasting something very similar to this irrisitible treat about 6 years ago. It was a moment I will never forget. Unlucky for me, I now live about two thousand miles from the lovely little bakery where this “love at first taste” happened. Lucky for me, I have a friend,Nan,who made the closest thing I had tasted since, and after minor tweaking of her recipe I was able to “almost recreate” the real deal. Unlucky for me, I usually end up eating the whole pan.

SERIOUSLY IRRESISTIBLE PUMPKIN SQUARES

(You are going to have to be patient with me and my pictures for a while. I am a good cook, not a good photographer. Just give me time.)

Beat until creamy:

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

2 cup packed pumpkin

Add:

2 cups flour

( psst, hey–this is a special secret–Use at least half wheat flour. I use all wheat flour. It gives it a very special texture and don’t worry they will still be moist. They will even be way way yummy if you just use regular white flour, but if you’re like me, you probably try to be at least a little bit healthy sometimes. Using wheat flour takes part of the guilt factor away when  I eat the whole pan by myself.)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch  nutmeg (optional)

Pinch Salt

(For those of you who are scared by words like pinch and dash, I will give you an exact measurement.  However,I am pretty sure you won’t have a measuring spoon that says 1/16.  1/16 tsp is equivelent to a pinch in my book.)

Beat until well blended. Spread mixture in a lightly greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

FROSTING

1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick)

1 8oz.  softened cream cheese

Mix that together really good with your hand mixer and then add:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth and spread on completely cooled cake.

I personally love to keep these in the fridge because even though they are completely fabulous at room temperature, they are TO DIE FORwhen they are cold. Keeping them in the fridge also helps the frosting stay fresher. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Stay tuned for more fall fun with pumpkin and other great  fall  Super Stars, like apples and soups coming at you later.

I saw some awesome creative pumpkin recipes over at the Picky-Palate, one of my favorite cooking sites. She is always whipping up yummy treats and has come up with some scrumdidliumpsous pumpkin ones this fall. I personally can’t wait to try the Pumpkin Pie Swirled Brownie Tart, and Amy over at The Mother Load has a great pumpkin waffle recipe.

Pssst….have you seen the great giveaway for my segment? They are soooo cute!

Which one do you like? 

There are a lot more where those came from too.  I can just see me rock’n one of them during the holidays this year (to bad I can’t win).  All you need to do is leave me a comment about your favorite fall recipe with your e-mail and BINGO, you are entered to win one of the cutest aprons ever from our friends at Apron Warehouse.  Here’s the nitty gritty:

The Giveaway Has been closed!  Comments remain open

If you have a recipe you think deserves a spotlight here on Maria’s Kitchen then be sure to visit the submit page for details. I probably get way to excited about food. I am sure it borders on being a disorder of some sort, but I really can’t wait to hear what you’ve got cooking in your kitchen.