cookbook_challenge | Golden pumpkin bars

I've wanted to try these "Golden Pumpkin Bars" for ages, and I finally got around to it! They're from the 1992 Eagle Brand & Hershey's Dessert Collection.

The filling is exactly like pumpkin pie; the base is cookie-like and the taste kind of reminds me of biscotti. Since they cut up small much more neatly than a pie, it's a convenient option if you want to make an autumn-themed dessert that will easily serve a lot of people. (Or you can freeze some of it for later! These freeze well.)

Golden Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin, about 2 cups
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

+ Preheat oven to 350F. Reserve 1/2 cup dry cake mix. Grease a 13x9 baking pan.

+ In large mixer bowl, combine remaining cake mix, oil, and 1 egg; beat until crumbly. Stir in almonds. Press firmly on bottom of the baking pan.

+ In the same mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients, including reserved dry cake mix; mix well.

+ Pour mixture over the prepared crust. Bake 50 minutes or until set. Cool. Cut into bars and garnish as desired.

Adjustments and notes:

+ I doubled the cinnamon, and added some allspice for the hell of it. But basically you can use whatever you'd put in pumpkin pie; it'll taste great.

+ The recipe calls for 16 oz/2 cups of pumpkin, but the standard can of pumpkin that you can get where I live is just under 800 ml, which the internet tells me is closer to 28 oz. I used the recommended amount, which left me with quite a lot of pumpkin remaining. Not a problem, because I have plans for it, but it's something to keep in mind.