Tis the Season.........

Pumpkin season that is! I had an extra can of pumpkin in my cupboards and I know my officemate loves pumpkin so I found a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. I am not a huge pumpkin fan nor am I a big pecan fan and that is basically all this recipe is. I did not like these when they first came out of the oven BUT the next day when I was work they were taunting me all day and when I had one I was pleasantly surprised - they were pretty good. I found that pumpkin and non pumpkin fans both liked these - so that makes them a hit in my book!

I didn't have any allspice at home, it is one of those ingredients that I always think I have but never do, so instead I just used a little less then 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and it tasted great. Also, when they came out of the oven the first time the edges were not lightly brown and I didn't let it cool off before I added the cheesecake filling but it still worked out well. It also took me longer then 35 minutes to bake these, I kept waiting for them to brown and set firmer but they didn't I think I might have actually had them in for an extra 20 minutes but after a nite in the refrigerator they came out perfect. Enjoy!!






PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS
(Source: Allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
1 cup finely chopped pecans (I used pecan chips)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice

DIRECTIONS

- In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans; set aside 3/4 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.