Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Just about every food blog I follow has posted pumpkin bars before me, but this was the first time I had ever made these fall favorites myself. It just doesn't feel like fall without scarfing up some of these babies. My favorite part is the creamy sweet frosting. This recipe makes a huge batch. I shared 1/2 of them with my neighbors and still had enough to last hubby and I for a few days.

Pumpkin Bars
From Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 beaten eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and oil until combined. 

Spread in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours on a wire rack and spread with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
Note: this is for about 2 cups of frosting

Ingredients
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

Directions
Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar beating well until the frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Spread onto pumpkin bars and cut into squares.