Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

Recipe courtesy of al320

For the bars:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup rolled quick oats

For the filling:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 3/4 cups mashed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs

For the drizzle:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350

To make the bars:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar and molasses until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture and place in a small bowl. Scoop the remaining mixture into a 10¡å x 15¡å baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray.

Add the oats to the reserved mixture and mix until combined - set aside.

To make the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves - mix until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scoop the mixture over the uncooked base and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the top. Crumble reserved oat mixture over filling.

Bake until the topping is a golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the drizzle:

In a small bowl, mix together confectioners¡¯ sugar, butter and vanilla. Mix in just enough milk until the mixture will easily flow from a spoon - drizzle over cooled bars.