One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers as there are few late night snacks as irresistible as cold turkey and stuffing. However I often find myself with some leftovers I could do without in the form of excess ingredients bought during the frenzy of grocery shopping in the days before turkey day. One of the ingredients I almost always have in surplus after the Thanksgiving holiday is cans of pumpkin puree. I always tend to over buy the affordable cans of pumpkin goodness so cleverly stacked by the check out counter thinking that I will inevitably use them in some recipe before the holiday season is over. Yet, each spring when I commence my semi-annual cupboard reorganization there they sit, cans upon cans of unopened pumpkin puree, pushed all the way in the back, taking up much needed room in my tiny NYC size kitchen.
This year I came across a dessert recipe that was so amazing and well received I made it not once, but three times to take to different Thanksgiving celebrations last week. The recipe is for Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese icing by the incomparable Paula Deen of the Food Network. Her recipe makes on of the most moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin bars I have ever tasted and also is a great way to use any pumpkin puree that may be lingering around your house. You can find the complete recipe here and I listed the ingredients below, happy baking!!
