Pumpkin Bar Cookies

I love to bake treats. I love the way the house smells while the treats cook. The smells remind me of time spent cooking and baking with my Mom. These pumpkin bar cookies have a fantastic aroma as they cook—full of autumn, cool air, and raking leave.

It’s now officially fall –and more specifically time to use some pumpkin puree. I love pumpkin cookies, but seldom have enough time to see a whole batch through from dough to cooked cookies. The remaining dough usually ends up in the refrigerator, where it gets picked at by the parents until there’s no dough left. Either way, cooked or as dough, the cookies are yummy.

But, I’d rather have the cookies baked so I can share them with my kids.  That’s why I love bar cookies. Pour the batter in, and then pop them into the oven. All done! No waiting for one tray to cook before starting the next tray. One other bonus, I don’t have to keep opening the oven while at the same time keeping the baby out of the oven area.

I’ve noticed, in satisfying my desire for pumpkin baked goods, most recipes call for a cup or so of pumpkin puree. But my pumpkin cans always come with two or so cups of pumpkin puree.  That’s enough to make pumpkin pie, but too much for many of the popular pumpkin baked goods. And, when I don’t have a garden, like this year, roasting and making my own puree doesn’t work so well. I’m always left wondering what to do with the remaining pumpkin?

These pumpkin cookie bars are great for using that last cup of pumpkin puree. They are also quick to mix, and have a great fall flavor. Topped with a cream cheese and cinnamon frosting and these cookies become irresistible. Usually, one batch lasts about one afternoon. My kids just love these cookies.

There’s nothing too fancy about these pumpkin cookies. They are just soft, yummy, old fashioned cookies. They are simple enough to make with my preschooler, and never go wrong. They use common ingredients, and can handle over mixing. The recipe gives baking directions for using the cookies as drop cookies. Baking them as bar cookies changes the baking time a bit. But, baking them this way is still faster than baking tray after tray.

I like to top these cookies with a cream cheese and cinnamon frosting and pecans, then serve them with hot cocoa on cold fall evenings. Of course, these cookies are good without the frosting if people are too impatient to wait for the frosting to be finished. By people, I mean my husband. He’s a self-confessed cookie-aholic. These cookies are topped with a cream cheese frosting, so they need to be refrigerated until it’s time for them to be served.

This recipe is a favorite at my house, and I hope your family will enjoy them too. Do you have any favorite pumpkin recipes? Let me know, I’d love to try them.