Pumpkin Pie Bars

(from allrecipes.com, with minor changes)

Crust:

1 ½ cup flour

½ - 1 cup finely chopped nuts

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup margarine

Mix till crumbly. Reserve 1 ¼ cup crumbs. Press the rest into 9x13” pan.

Pumpkin filling:

15 oz pumpkin (slightly less than 2 cups)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp each cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt

Mix well and pour over crust in pan.

Mix reserved crumbs with 1 Tbsp flour. Sprinkle over pumpkin. Bake at 375 for 30ish minutes or till lightly browned. Cool several minutes, cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

I took these to a potluck the first time I made them. I thought we would be able to bring leftovers home, but they were such a hit that the pan was nearly licked clean. :) The combination of the crust and filling is a winner for sure. I know I’ll make these again because a) I get to lick the lid of the sweetened condensed milk can and b) they taste like pumpkin pie without making pie crust. It’s a win-win situation.