Pumkin Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Bars

4 eggs
1 cup agave nector*
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teas baking powder
2 teas cinnamon
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/4 teas ground cloves
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, lightly with shortning.

2. Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin in large bowl until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Stir in raisins. Spread in pan.

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting (below). Sprinkle with walnuts. Refrigerate any remaining bars.

*may replace 1 cup agave nectar with 2 cups sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese , softened**
1/3 cup stick butter, softened
1 teas vanilla
1 cup agave nectar***

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and agave in medium bowl with hand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy.

To make with powdered sugar in place of agave nectar,
** replace the 8 ounce package of cream cheese with a 3 ounce package of cream cheese
*** replace 1 cup agave nectar with 2 cups of powdered sugar

Pumkin Pecan Loaves-Taste of Home 2001

May your home be a place where friends meet, family gathers and love grows.

I made these Pumkin Loaves for Knit Night a while back. They were really good and I like that the recipe makes 2 large loaves. I also added 1 cup of white chocolate chips to my batch.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
3 cups sugar
2 teas. baking soda
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. ground cinnamon
1 teas. ground nutmeg
1 can (15 ounces) solid back pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped pecans

CARAMEL GLAZE:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract

I a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs and water; mix well. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined; fold in the pecans. Spoon into two greased 9 in. x 5 in. x 3 in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pans to wire rack. For Glaze, combine butter, sugars and cream in a saucepan. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Cool for 20 minutes. Stir in the confectioners sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaves. Yield: 2 loaves