Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars

Last week, I said I was done with pumpkin recipes for the month of October but I may have been premature in saying that. No sooner than I packed away the goods, then I get inspired. After all, pumpkin is so versatile and easy to work with, it's hard to relegate it to the back shelf so quickly.

Very frequently, I get requests for special recipes and I always try to accommodate. I have a lovely friend named Arielle who is a self-professed "foodie." She is a girl after my own heart as she loves to bake and try new foods. There have been many times we have "made each other hungry" simply by describing a special dish or a good meal.  

I've often tried to tempt her with run-of-the-mill confections, but she "doesn't do donuts." She knows what she likes, and Arielle says she likes pumpkin. 

Arielle has been the beneficiary of several "taste tests" but the girl has the memory of an elephant. She won't let me forget that she didn't get to sample last year's Pumpkin Butter Bars. In fact, she has reminded me more than once about that tiny little detail. So sorry.

In honor of Arielle, I have come up with something else delectable to appease her palate. 

So for you, my dear friend, here is a wonderful pumpkin pie swirl bar that I think may just earn forgiveness for not making you those "other" bars.

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 3/4 cups Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread Mix
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 jar Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter
• 3 Tbs. milk

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add pumpkin, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup water until well blended. Slowly add pumpkin bread mix and baking powder. Beat mixture until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a large rectangular (9 x 13 or larger) buttered and floured baking pan.
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, one egg and 1/4 cup sugar until creamy and smooth.
4. Spread pumpkin bread mixture into the baking pan.
5. In a third bowl mix together remaining egg, pumpkin butter and 3 tbs milk, using electric mixer.
6. Alternately drop dollops of the cream cheese and pumpkin butter mixtures over the pumpkin cake batter. Create swirl designs by dragging a knife through the filling.
7. Bake in a 350° oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) comes clean with a cake tester–about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Cut and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.