Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting & Organic Honey Drizzle {Recipe}

This recipe has been simmering around waiting to be shared for about a week now and it was killing me! I've made it twice already and everything about these pumpkin bars blows my mind. Honestly, I'm not a huge pumpkin fan but I find myself always being drawn to it during the fall season.

I found this scrumptious recipe on Taste of Home. The entire recipe is almost the same with a few tweaks. I also didn't have the size pan they stated so I had to use my 15x11 glass pan. Every person gushed as they scarfed delighted in each moist bite. I also changed the flavor by drizzling some organic honey on top of the cream cheese frosting. Can you say yum?!

What you'll need:

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1 package of softened cream cheese
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup softened butter (or half a stick of butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix until well blended the eggs, oil, pumpkin and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Slowly add to the pumpkin mixture until blended well. Spray a 15x11 inch pan with baking spray and pour mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for about 28-30 minutes, inserting a toothpick into the center to check if done. Cool completely.

For the frosting, combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and milk into a bowl and beat on low to medium speed. Spread over the bars, then with a spoon, lightly drizzle honey (preferably organic or homemade) over the frosting. Store in the refrigerator. 

Seriously. I had to run and grab one just because I was putting this together and have no self-control.

What is your favorite pumpkin treat during the fall season?

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie {Recipe}

 There are times in life where one steps back and says...
"Man, this is one great cookie!!"

Last week, I had such a moment with this recipe I found on Cooks.com

I was left with a condo that smelled like heaven, a husband who couldn't wait for the next batch and a very satisfied preggo woman :)

Here's what I did:

1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons)
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet morsels

(the original recipe had nuts and raisins but I opted out.) 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs.

Sift flour and measure out 2 1/4 cups. After measuring the sifted flour, sift again with remaining dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Stir in vanilla and semi-sweet morsels.

Drop the cookie batter by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. (I actually had neither, so I settled for some good ol' aluminum foil...sprayed with cooking spray & worked great!)

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and firm and only lightly colored.
Do not allow cookies to brown.
(Seriously, I have a habit of doing that! With this recipe though, 10-11 min is plenty and you'd be surprised how moist and perfect the cookies are if you don't let them brown on the top.)

Transfer to wire racks to cool. (I just left them on the foiled pan, whatever) This takes like two minutes.
Serve with the tallest glass of cold millk you can find and eat your little heart out!!!

As usual, since I'm only baking for two, I had lots of dough left over. This makes a bunch, so I scooped half of the leftover dough in a container for cookies the next day (per my handsome man's request) and the other half, I rolled in a nice cylinder shape, wrapped with freezer wrap, marked the date and froze it.
This dough can most likely last frozen for up to 3-4 months! But...I doubt it'll last that long in my house...