We had a bake sale at work the week before last and I volunteered to bake something. I've NEVER baked for a bake sale or sold anything I've cooked/baked before so I was honestly nervous. What if someone demands their money back after eating my baked good?! So I overcame my fear, sucked it up, and baked. I made double decker pumpkin bars and glazed honey bars. And it was a success! Everything at our ENTIRE bake sale was sold which was amazing because all proceeds went to the United Way. We raised a lot of money and had so much fun in the process!
Double Decker Pumpkin Bars
So this was my first time ever making pumpkin bars. I made them the night before and was a bit disappointed that they weren't the thick, dense bar I was looking for, they were more like a flat cake. I even halved the baking powder and soda following a suggestion I read on All Recipes (love that site!). So I grabbed the icing the next day (yes store bought, I was nervous about letting actual cream cheese frosting sit out all day at the sale! I'm probably just weird, I know), added it and the combination was irresistible. I'm a believer of moderation, so an amazing dessert here or there is allowed in my book :)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
2 cups white sugar (I used 1 C brown and 1 C white since I didn't have enough white)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 tsp baking soda
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Bake in two greased 9 x 13 pans (I used 1- 10 x 15 and 1- 9 x 9) at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting (I put the frosting in a ziplock bag, cut a small piece off the corner, then spreaded it from there because it was making a mess of the bars to just spread with a knife). Then re-layer with another bar the same size, and re-frost. SO good! I improvised a way to take a slightly dry bar, add two layers of frosting and transform it into fall pumpkin amazingness.
Glazed Honey Bars (recipe from the Texas State Fair!)
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup honey
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Glaze:
1 Cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp mayonnaise (weird, I know, but this glaze is SO good)
1 tsp vanilla
Combine oil, honey (tip: honey comes out of the measuring cup much better when added right after oil!), sugar and egg in a mixing bowl and stir well. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Press into a greased and floured (this helps the bars come off the pan perfectly!) 10 x 15 pan - aka jelly roll pan . Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 mins. To prepare glaze, mix powdered sugar, water, mayonnaise and vanilla and immediately spread onto hot bars. Cool before cutting, and enjoy!
The hot honey bars after adding the glaze... so good...
