A Couple Fall Desserts

I love Fall. The cooler weather, the leaves changing colors. Well, I love it when that does actually happen here in SoCal. But lately the weather has been cooler. Yesterday, it was a blustery, windy fall day. It makes one want to drink some coffee and cozy up on the couch with a nice "fall-feeling" dessert. Two such desserts have made their way somehow into my life and made me so happy. Not that desserts are the source of my hapiness, but these just make me feel happy. At least for a moment until the guilt sets in.

So I feel obliged to share these two recipes with you so you can share in my guilt, I mean joy! They are the perfect fall pleasure, and no doubt you will be asked for the recipe if you give them to someone. They are easily transportable and need no plate or fork, unlike their sister counterparts, the pumpkin and apple pie.

Behold: the Pumpkin Pie Bar, and my newest temptation: The Apple Pie Bar. One is ridiculously simple to make, and one is a bit time consuming. But I do guarantee one thing....they are both worth it either way! Try one of these today. You won't be sorry. Neither will your fat stores.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

1 box yellow cake mix (yep, it's a cheater recipe)
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, divided
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 oz evaporated milk
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or oats if you wish to try and make this remotely healthy)
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9X13 pan. Remove 1 cup of cake mix from the package and reserve. In a large bowl, combine 1 egg, the remaining cake mix in the bag, and the melted butter. Press into prepared pan. Combine eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, evaporated milk, and spices, and mix well. Spread over cake mixture in pan. To the reserved cake mix, add sugar, walnuts (or oats), and softened butter, and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until set.

Apple Pie Bars

Filling:
7-8 medium apples, preferably Granny Smith
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup (I used regular pancake syrup)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamon (I used ginger)

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg

Topping:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup chopped and toasted pecans (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Over medium heat, cover the pan and cook the apples for 5 minutes to allow the juices to release. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the apples have turned a golden brown and there is almost no liquid remaining, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the crust. Preheat the oven to 375. Line a 9X13 pan with foil and grease. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Mix for two minutes. Add the egg and mix. Add reserved dry ingredients, and mix well. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. While the crust is baking, prepare the topping.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter, and mix until it resembles wet sand.

When the crust is done, immediately spread the apples over the hot crust. Sprinkle the topping over the apples, and press down slightly to adhere. Reduce the oven temperature to 350, and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and crisp. Let the pan rest to cool and chill several hours before cutting into squares. Lift the bars out of the pan with the foil and cut on a flat surface.

Can you say YUMMMY???????