That nip in the air (and the giant cooking pumpkin sitting on my counter) are telling me it’s Autumn. And therefore it’s time for pumpkin bars! So lets get to it, shall we? This is a classic pumpkin bar recipe, just like your grandma used to make. It’s simple to prepare, and the bars always disappear quickly from their pan. Your shower guests will rave, and you’ll be a hero. I promise.

Happy Autumn!

Classic Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups (15 oz) pureed pumpkin

2 cups sugar

Frosting:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

6 T butter, softened

1 ¾ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease (or spray with cooking spray) a jelly roll pan, and set it aside. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the first five ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then stir in the oil, pumpkin puree, and sugar; mix well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until just-combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack while you prepare the frosting.

With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until the mixture is smooth, then add the milk and vanilla to the bowl. With the mixer on low, beat in the powdered sugar bit by bit until it’s all combined, adding a bit more milk if needed to achieve your desired consistency. 

When the bars are completely cool, spread on the frosting and serve. Store these covered in the refrigerator if you’re going to be keeping them more than a day or two. 

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Over the years, we have been making the best, most versatile, baby shower stuff out of every company. We have these  adorable Lollipop Bouquets that are absolutely perfect for a baby shower favor, or a gift for the new parents. Not only do they serve as a great decoration, they are also incredibly tasty! Amazingly cute product!:)

Alright, these crackers are in no way healthy for you…but you won’t care a bit about that once you’ve tasted them. I’ve yet to serve these to someone who hasn’t loved them. They are so simple to prepare, extremely addicting…and they are the perfect thing to set on your end tables for your shower guests to snack on during the games/gifts portions of your baby shower!

Enjoy!

Seasoned Oyster Crackers
2 (12 oz) packages oyster crackers
1 cup your favorite oil
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp dill weed
¼ tsp lemon pepper

Place the crackers in a large bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid, set aside. In a small bowl, combine the oil and remaining ingredients. Stir until well-combined, then pour the mixture over the crackers. Place the cover on the bowl or jar and shake them up until all the crackers are coated. Let them stand for at least 20 minutes (longer is better) and then serve. These will keep in an air-tight container for a long, long time…but you and your guests will eat them all up long before they have a chance to spoil!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger