Sharon Bennett's Pumpkin Bars

Do you ever call a recipe by the name of the person that you received it from?  I do.  Betty Brewer's Cream Cheese Foldovers, Margaret Smith's Biscotti, Shawn Miklautsch’s  Raspberry Shortbread Cookies, Ellen Jones's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mom’s Marriage Meatballs and today's recipe, Sharon Bennett's Pumpkin Bars.  So many recipes are special to me because of the people I got them from.  Calling the recipe by their name is just my little way of remembering them and their friendship as I bake.  I also don't actually consider the recipe "mine", while I may have acquired it years ago; I still consider it theirs and like to give them the credit for it.

Sharon was a woman whose home I cleaned for about four years.  I love the people I clean for, I couldn't do it otherwise.  I end up knowing about their children, their grandchildren, likes, dislikes and about their lives.  Sharon passed away last year and I miss my visits with her but enjoyed thinking about her today as I baked these pumpkin bars.

A quick and easy recipe, and one of the few things I bake that I have a terrible time not going back for more and more and more.  They will be so good with coffee in the morning!!  So make with caution, but as always…   ~Enjoy

Sharon Bennett’s Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

¾ tsp. EACH- ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Beat eggs; add oil, sugar and pumpkin.  Combine flour, spices, baking powder & soda.  Mix into pumpkin mixture.  Pour into a greased & floured 10” x 15” pan (I use a 9” x 13” glass Pyrex)  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.   Let cool before frosting.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

2 TBS butter

1 ½ tsp. milk (or ½ & ½)

½ tsp. vanilla (of course I double that!)

¾ tsp. orange zest

Powdered sugar (about 2 cups)

Beat all ingredients together adding powdered sugar until the frosting in the consistency that you like. 

Frost pumpkin bars and enjoy!