In the Fall, I always like to try to make a new pumpkin dessert.  Last year it was pumpkin whoopie pies.  This year, while wandering around in Williams Sonoma, I decided to try my hand at pumpkin bars.    All in all, it was a good life decision.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix, 1 cup reserved
• 1/2 cup of melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/8 cup of milk
• 1 Tablespoon of flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of softened butter
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (can be purchased at Williams Sonoma)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, 1 egg and all the cake mix except the 1 cup that was reserved.  Press the mixture into a 9×13 inch pan that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix the pecan pumpkin butter with the milk and 2 eggs and pour over the cake mixture.  Combine the reserved cake mix, flour, sugar, cinnamon and softened butter.  Crumble the mixture over the pumpkin layer.

This scared me a little bit because the topping wasn’t as crumbly as I thought it should be. Bake the bars for 35 – 40 minutes.

This is what it looked like when I pulled it out of the oven.  The topping melded together quite nicely.

I was worried the pumpkin would be a little overwhelming and was pleasantly surprised with the light flavor.  These may make another appearance in our house around Thanksgiving!