Don’t like pumpkin pie? Get ready for a surprise.

I live in a family that is 50/50 on pumpkin pie. Hubby and Pebbles L O V E anything pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggnog while BamBam and I really either don’t like it much – or at all – or MAYBE with whip cream of ice cream will be tolerable.

Let me just say, that BamBam is the pickiest of us all … and he loved it and wanted a huge piece after testing it out.

The other night at our Women’s Bible Study, the baker extraordinaire Carol J, brought a tray of these Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares for us to enjoy  – and they were so unique and delicious that I simply needed to have a second piece !

Thankfully, she had the forethought to bring copies of her recipe in her purse… because the week before she brought the most AMAZING toffee bars and we all practically pummeled her for details. (PS I have that recipe too ! ;D Will be making them soon for our family at Christmas – if I can wait that long.)

Pebbles and I were excited to make the Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares today for our Thanksgiving Dinner dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

BOTTOM CAKE CRUST LAYER:

•  1 package yellow cake mix (I used ‘Butter Golden’ Cake Mix because I wasn’t seeing ‘yellow’ on the shelf that wasn’t lemon. You do NOT want lemon !!)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 egg

FILLING:

• 1 – 16oz. can 100% pumpkin
• 2/3 cup of milk (I used 1/3 milk and 1/3 leftover evaporated milk that I had just opened yesterday)
• 2 eggs

TOPPING:

• 1 cup reserved cake mix powder
• 1/4 cup sugar (we used dark brown sugar because we ran out of white – and felt it would be more like ‘crumble’)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter cold

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Grease bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the cake mix for the topping.
3. Combine remaining cake mix with butter and one egg.
4. Pour into the pan and smooth it over with a spatula so flat and even along the bottom.
5. Prepare the filling by combining ingredients until smooth. We used a hand mixer.
6. Pour over the first layer carefully and smooth it over with a spatula without disturbing the bottom layer if possible.
7. To prepare the topping combine the ingredients with your fingers like you would a crumble – and sprinkle over the pumpkin filling layer.
8. Bake 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.
9. Let cool, cut into squares.

They are great on their own, but also decadent with caramel whip cream garnish.

VERDICT

Everyone loved it – Hubby was happy to have a pumpkin pie type dessert at Thanksgiving and happier that we could all equally enjoy it; Pebbles said it was better than her beloved pumpkin pie…. and BamBam wanted a larger piece than I gave him.  I think that this would be just as good with plain milk and white sugar.  I think it would be ‘lighter’ in color on the top obviously… and in taste.  We personally enjoyed the more caramel rich flavor of the brown sugar substitute since it goes so well with pumpkin. Very very rich, a great texture variety of the slightly denser chewier cake with the smooth custard in the middle, with the crunchy topping.

Finally a fall themed dessert that can fit the bill of tradition – that everyone likes. Let me know if you try it !! I can’t wait to tell Carol …. !