It's the Great Pumpkin...

Pumpkin season is upon us. From now to Christmas, there will be pumpkin custards and brulees, pumpkin pies, pumpkin breads, pumpkin cookies... even pumpkin soups.

I figure... why fight it? Here's my first contribution: Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bars. They make up quick and have that creamy pumpkin pie-type middle.

I took them over to Hen Pecks, because she's laid up in bed after knee surgery. While we dished, her husband snatched up the goodies and went into the dark recesses of the house, where he was ghoulishly glowing by computer light. Though we couldn't make out his features in the darkness, his voice came through just fine.

"AMAZING," he said, after taking the first bite out of these delectable fall treats.

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bars

Cookie Layer
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Layer
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan and lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends beyond the pan slightly.

To make cookie layer:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffly. Add eggs, and vanilla until beat until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan. I used my hands to press the dough down into the pan.

To make the pumpkin layer:
Combine all the ingredients together in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Mix until it is well combined. Pour over the cookie layer and smooth out. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake for 33-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely (about an hour).

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars.

Message to Santa

After working on this blog for almost two months, I have started to keep a running list in my head of all the kitchen gadgets I would like to have. I thought maybe, since Mrs. Santa is such a wonderful cook and baker, she likely reads lots of food blogs (including mine). I figure this is the most efficient way to get my Christmas list to my... er, I mean her jolly husband.

The Flake's Christmas Wish List
World Peace (doesn't hurt to suck up, right?)
A new lens for my camera (Canon G10)
A ceramic spoon holder to sit on the stovetop
A hot air corn popper
A Cuisinart ice cream maker (2-quart please)
Lots and lots of mismatched dessert plates (antiques, Deseret Industries bargains, single settings -- all to be used in my food porn photography collection)
Three 8x4 (not 9x5) bread loaf pans
A white cake plate (raised)
A microplane zester (sigh, drool)
A spice rack complete with empty bottles (I know just the one and have it marked at Amazon.com)
Assorted serving platters
Fat French Chef decor accessories (the little portly guys with chef hats)
My very own Flirty Apron (www.flirtyaprons.com) Well, okay, I want more than one. I want FOUR! Two for me (laundry rotation, don't ya know) and two matching little girl sizes to keep on hand for Mae and any other future granddaughters to use when we bake together. Well, hmmm... actually... I also want one for Katie, Juliann, and Rachael to have on hand at our house when they come over and help in the kitchen. You can see where this is going, right Santa? Every new girl that arrives into the family (through birth or marriage) is going to need their own Flirty Apron. Oh heck, Santa, just buy me stock in the company.