Pumpkin Dream Bars

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I thought I’d post one more pumpkin recipe to follow up the pumpkin muffin recipe that I posted a few days ago.  This recipe I actually saw on one of those videos that was floating around on Facebook and decided to try it out.  Well, it was worth it because they definitely are “dreamy”.  Delish.com is where I found this delicious Pumpkin Dream Bar recipe.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 2 1/2 c. Gluten Free Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
• 3 tbsp. sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c. butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 15- oz. can Pumpkin
• 1 12- oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease your baking pan.  (They recommend a 9 x 9 baking pan, but I only had an 8 x 8 and it turned out fine.)
2. To make your crust, add your Cheerios to a large ziplock bag and close tightly.  Use a rolling pin to crush them up into a fine powder. (I don’t know if it’s just me, but this was hard work!  So if you find yourself breaking into a sweat, you aren’t the only one.) Combine the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a medium sized bowl.  Then press into the bottom of the greased pan.  Bake for 8 minutes (until starting to turn golden) and then let it cool while you prepare the filling.  Make sure your oven is at 425 degrees F now.
3. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together for the filling.  Mix until smooth. Pour the mixture over the crust, and then bake for 15 minutes.  Now turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 35 minutes. Make sure you let it cool to ROOM TEMPERATURE (I made the mistake of putting them in the refrigerator too soon and was left with some moisture on top.) Refrigerate until chilled.
4. When you’re ready to serve, slice into even pieces and sift the powdered sugar over the tops. (Mine didn’t turn out as pretty as theirs, but still tasted wonderful.)

Watch the video on how to make them here.

I hope you all have a wonderful day spent with family and friends all around you.  (And eating lots of yummy food and stocking up on leftovers for the Gilmore Girls premiere tomorrow!!!)