Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars: Another Thanksgiving Specialty

In my yearbook class at my high school, we occasionally throw "food parties" to celebrate the holidays or really...just any celebration of something. This recent "food party" was for Thanksgiving! I had homework to do the night before the party, so I wanted to make a dessert that was simple, delicious, and Thanksgiving appropriate. After looking through many recipes on Food Network's website and Southern Living's, I found the perfect, tasty treat on Food Network! I'm sure you've read the title and know the winner was Pumpkin Bars! Honestly, any recipe by Paula Deen HAS to be great, lets face it. When I looked at the picture, the frosting on top of the bars is what really got me. Although, Paula Deen calls it a, "bar", it's more like a cake. Either way, they are delicious and perfect to serve for Thanksgiving. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is over...but doesn't hurt to try it, especially if you have a can of pumpkin that went unused! Now some people don't like pumpkin, and I'm somewhat the same. It depends on how strong the pumpkin is in the dessert. I used a little less pumpkin than what the recipe called for, because I don't like it to be strong. In the end, they turned out perfect! They had a wonderful taste and cut out so nicely.

Ingredients:

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

 

 

Frosting:

 

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy.

 

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

(I added the dry ingredients a little at a time.)

 Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Recipe from:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-bars-recipe/index.html

Chocolate-Caramel-Pecan Pie: A Thanksgiving MUST

My boyfriend's mother showed me the most amazing recipe in Southern Living magazine the other day. Chocolate-Caramel-Pecan Pie. I knew when I saw it, it would be perfect for my church's Thanksgiving dinner. The picture of the pie in the magazine looked inviting with the gooey chocolate and caramel hanging off the fork. It looked so appropriate for Thanksgiving. So...I tried it out...and it's definitely a keeper. All of it was gone when I went to pick up my pie pan! I recieved compliments of how delicious it was a few times. Keep in mind, this is Southern Living's recipe, not mine! The ingredients and preparations are from their website. I give all credit to them for this yummy dessert.

BTW: Before you began, I didn't use a 10-inch deep-dish tart pan. I didn't own one, so I used a 9-inch pan. I also didn't use their instructions on the pie crust; I used the instructions on the side of the refrigerated piecrust box. You can basically not use steps 2 and 3. If you do own that pan, and want to do those steps, then go ahead!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves and pieces
• 1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, divided $
• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 28 caramels
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 

 

Preparation:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring halfway through. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). Increase oven temperature to 425°.

 

 

2. Unroll piecrusts; stack on a lightly floured surface. Roll stacked piecrusts into a 12-inch circle. Fit piecrust into a 10-inch deep-dish tart pan with removable bottom; press into fluted edges. Trim off excess crust along edges. Line piecrust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake 4 more minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack (about 15 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
 
4. Microwave chocolate morsels and 1/4 cup cream in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.

5. Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add 1 egg, beating at low speed just until blended. Add chocolate mixture, beating just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared crust.

6. Microwave caramels, butter, and remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk together 2 eggs, vanilla, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar; whisk into caramel mixture until blended. Stir in pecans; spoon over chocolate mixture in prepared crust.

7. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set, shielding edges with aluminum foil after 45 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).

FINISHED PRODUCT:

 

 

Peanut Butter Crackers Dipped in White Chocolate

My club at school, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), planned a Thanksgiving meal for the pastors in our area. I typically would bake something, but I wasn't going to be there that day. I also decided since I had no time because of school, that I would make something delicious and easy. Peanut butter crackers dipped in white chocolate are so good. They are a favorite among my friends and my mom. They are also the perfect snack when you want something a bit salty and sweet. When I got my container back from the meal, they were all gone! It's so hard not to eat more than one. These little cookies take 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

Ritz Crackers

Jif Peanut Butter

White Chocolate Bark

Step One:

Create your peanut butter crackers.

Step Two:

Break up your white chocolate and melt it. You can melt it in a double boiler or in the microwave. I did mine in the microwave for 1 minute and would stop it half way to stir.  (Repeat again.) Sometimes white chocolate can easily seize when it has too much heat; make sure you take a break to stir!

Step Three:

The messiest step. Take your peanut butter crackers and dip them in the white chocolate and sit them on a pan to dry. It usually takes 5-10 minutes for them to dry.

Waaaaaaaaa-laaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Later this week, my next blog post will be what dessert I'm cooking for Thanksgiving, so keep checking up on the blog!