This is my absolute favorite time of the year and I’m sure I’m not alone. The aromatic spices, the fall vegetables, the mere fact that I can stick pumpkins into any meal without seeming crazy… it’s all very exciting. Last week, thanks to some cool, crisp weather, I was eager to get into the holiday spirit by firing up my oven and filling my place with the smell of pumpkin spice. So I made some pumpkin-cranberry bars. I’m thrilled to share my recipe for the bars that I often bring to holiday parties, offer to neighbors, wrap in tins, or just keep in my kitchen for my family to enjoy. The bars are great with a cup of tea in the afternoon, as a midnight snack, and as yummy energy bars in your kid’s lunchbox. The recipe is very easy to follow and has delicious and healthy ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar
4 tbsp room temperature salted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 egg white
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup uncooked oats
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries

As in the picture above, start by combining the flour, oats, spices, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside. Then, using an electric beater, cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. It won’t come out super creamy, just smooth. I find that what works best is to beat the sugar and butter on the highest setting for about 20 seconds, then scrape the bowl with a spatula, and beating the mixture again for about 20 seconds does the trick. Then beat in the egg, egg white, pumpkin and buttermilk.

Then, carefully stir the dry ingredients that you had set aside into the pumpkin mixture. Finally, mix in the cranberries and presto! The cake bars are ready for baking. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, spread the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. If you like a dry texture to your bars, just bake longer or pour the batter into a larger pan so that the bars come out thinner. I find that by using the 9×13 inch pan and baking for exactly 20 to 21 minutes gets you a moist, cakey texture that is just lovely.

Here, we have a picture of the pumpkin-cranberry bars, taken within a minute of coming out of the oven. I am incapable of waiting for anything to cool, especially baked goods, as evidenced above. May I say that these cake bars taste their best right out of the oven, so don’t resist the temptation to try your baked concoction immediately! Just try not to burn your tongue as I did last week! It ruined the salad I had for dinner afterwards. And yes, I do think that it’s totally cool to have dessert first on occasion. Even if it means burning your tongue. Life is short, right? Enjoy the pumpkin-cranberry bars and delight in the delicious holiday season that has just begun!

Brynn is a content writer for Discount Party Supplies. Brynn is currently a stay-at-home mom, bringing up her firecracker of a daughter, Romy. She plays violin in a San Francisco Bay Area symphony, and though she doesn’t have time to host many parties with a toddler at home and another baby on the way, Brynn helps friends plan parties and has even successfully catered a party or two.