Plain Jane Pumpkin Bars

Ok, here's the thing...I love food. Like, totally. Not really thinkin' that's a big secret. If I could I would eat cheesecake, hamburgers with cheddar and bacon, sour cream anything and cookies all day every day. Unfortunately, that ain't happening or I wouldn't be able to fit through my front door. I have learned the art of moderation. It's hard. Any one who tells you it isn't is a lying dog. A LYING DOG, I say.

Autumn is sorta kinda knocking on the door here in Central PA and when that happens I start craving apple and pumpkin things. Sweet or savory, it makes no difference to me. I am a huge fan of both. Pumpkin bars are the BEST but most recipes scare the hell out of me what with the cups of sugar and oil and such. I'm not even going to mention the cream cheese frosting that usually accompanies these treats. Ok, so I mentioned it, but I am not including it in this recipe. Sorry. Don't hate me. These are kind of for every day. What you grab for that little sweet in your lunch box. They won't make you feel guilty and they are spicy and homey. I have changed the original recipe so much that I can honestly claim it as my own, I think. I cut the sugar and oil by about 75% and they are still very good. I added way more spice than the original recipe and because it was staring at me from the spice cupboard I added a few tablespoons of molasses. You can leave it out if you like but it gives it a nice

depth of flavor. Please make sure you grease and flour the pan well or you won't be getting bars out of the pan, you'll be scraping it out and eating it with a spoon. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. This is my second recipe in two days because my husband, who HATES pumpkin, ate the entire pan last night. I guess he liked it. So will you.

Plain Jane Pumpkin Bars

3 eggs

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce (I used homeade)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. molasses

2 c. unbleached flour

In a large bowl, stir together eggs, pumpkin, applesauce and oil. Combine well. Add in sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt and molasses. Stir well. Stir in flour until combined.

Spread in a greased and floured half sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, they are done. Cool completely and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired. Cut into bars. Makes about 25 depending on how big you cut them.