Buttermilk Pumpkin Bars

When I lived in Peru, I chose to adapt most pumpkin recipes in order to use sweet potato puree. The American pumpkins hit the grocery stores in mid-October and were highly overpriced. You only ever saw the Americans purchasing them. Most others looked at us like we were nuts asking, “why would you buy a Jack-o-Lantern”? I had to explain that pumpkin was incredibly popular, not only for cutting shapes from, but we also make pies, roast the seeds and even use the puree in things like pasta and other desserts.

Since cans of pumpkin hit the stores in abundance a few weeks ago, I keep buying can after can, wondering what more I can do with them. I have 3 large cans in the pantry and plan to use them and buy more. Maybe this weekend. Remember how I mentioned my love for the annual Holiday Baking magazine that Better Homes and Gardens distributes? As soon as I saw this years edition, I snapped it up immediately and flagged just about each page with plans to bake everything soon. Really soon.

I have decided Saturday mornings are my time to bake and these bars were the first on the list. They were originally made with sour cream, but since my roommate has a thing for sour cream, it was off limits and running low. But hey, since I didn’t use that in Peru either, I was already a step ahead. The bars turned out deliciously and I highly recommend eating them. I mean making them.

Buttermilk Pumpkin Bars

1/2 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of canned pumpkin
3/4 cup of low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of chopped pecans
Browned Butter Frosting
32 Pecan halves

1. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla until combined. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture, stir until combined. Add in the chopped nuts. Spread the mixture in a greased 9×13 baking dish*. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick exits clean when tested. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

2. Prepare the Browned Butter Frosting: In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, without stirring, until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat with a mixer until combined. Beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a spreadable frosting. Frost bars immediately. Cut into squares and decorate each with a pecan half.

*I baked mine in a 10×15 baking dish originally and thought they were a bit thin and the frosting didn’t cover them all, thus the reason I recommend using a 9×13 baking dish.