Amazingly Delicious Pumpkin Bars

in the vein of more recipes - here's the one for the amazingly delicious pumpkin bars.

Amazingly Delicious Pumpkin Bars:
for one 9 x 13 pan

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose (I use Whole Wheat - the texture is perfect) flour
• 1/4 cup quick oats (i add them to everything)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cloves, ginger, & nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Mix together the remaining dry ingredients and fold/stir into the pumpkin mixture.
3. I typically line my 9x13 pan with parchment paper - lord knows this recipe has enough fat in it without greasing the pan - and don't even think about skipping this step... the bars WILL stick to your pan.
   
4. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
   
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. when done, a stick inserted will come out clean. However, they are amazingly delicious when they aren't all the way done, so if the middle seems not quite there, i'd recommend just letting them be. If you're going to frost them, just allow them to cool first. Frosting recipe to follow.

Joy of Cooking quick icing

• 1/4 stick of butter
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 tablespoons spiced rum
  

1. use mixer to cream butter, combine butter and sugar
2. add the rum one tablespoon at a time until the mixture changes from looking like confetti to looking like icing. you may not need all of the rum. Drink the extra
   
3. Frost the baked good.
4. Lick the beaters.
   
5. make more because it's so delicious.

I usually serve the pumpkin bars in small pieces - about half the size of a cake slice. It's very rich. Make sure you have plenty of people to share it with. OR instead of frosting the whole cake, just frost half of it. The bars freeze really well. and having deserts in my freezer makes me feel like my grandmother.