This was supposed to be the pre-thanksgiving blog post. Clearly that didn’t happen.

Mainly because I was still so tired from the wedding I catered the weekend before. But also, I just didn’t have this intense urge to reflect; intentionally, deliberately, and wholeheartedly on what I was thankful for. Probably because I was too tired and no amount of coffee was gonna kick my butt into gear.

Anything I would have written would have just been ‘blah.’ I even contemplated simply writing ‘blah’ as the entire post, but I’m fairly certain that wouldn’t have done these bars justice. When you make these, you’ll be genuinely thankful you did. And anyone who tries them, they’ll be singing your praises.

I know I know, it’s after thanksgiving, pumpkin is soooooo last week. Cranberries. Eggnog. Peppermint. Those are the new ‘it’ things. The things is, after I made these bars and brought them to work, like 5 people asked me for the recipe. So I couldn’t NOT post them because evidently they were a HUGE hit. They lasted all of 8 minutes in the break room at work.

The bars itself is a cross between a cookie and a cake. I guess maybe that’s a blondie or a brownie? Whatever you want to call them. They rise as they’re baking and then sink down into a perfect flat top once they’ve cooled. The top just begs to have frosting smothered on it. I couldn’t deprive the little bars of their soul mate; sour cream cinnamon frosting.

The sour cream frosting isn’t tooooo cinnamony, just enough to add a depth of flavor. It’s not thick and firm like a butter cream, but it’s not runny like a glaze. It’s somewhere in the middle. The entire bar are like a cake and cookie love child.

Do you ever wonder where food bloggers take their pictures? I mean, besides the bloggers who are ‘professionals’ and have photographers come and set up shop and spend an entire day snapping pictures of a chocolate chip cookie. My back patio. On top of my husband’s amp case. Next to his smelly soccer cleats.

Pumpkin Sour Cream Bars
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 30 bars (even though site says 48, NO WAY would this make 48, unless they’re the size of mini marshmallows)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk (I used non fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sour Cream Cinnamon Frosting (recipe Below)

Directions
Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (a cookie sheet with edges); set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer (hand or stand) for 30 about seconds. Beat in sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Add eggs (one at a time), pumpkin, sour cream, milk, and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour; beat until combined.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking pan.
Bake in a 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack.

Prepare Sour Cream Cinnamon Frosting; spread over cooled bars, refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into bars.

Bars can be kept at room temperature for a few hours (like if you’re making them in advance and bringing them to work or a party). Refrigerate them if you plan on leaving them out overnight.

Sour Cream Cinnamon Frosting
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Cram the butter, add the sour cream, then vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Pour onto cooled bars, refrigerate for about an hour, then cut and serve.