Festive Fall Pumpkin Bars

I have not made the Sky-pumpkin pie yet. But below you will find a great pumpkin pie-like cookie bar. It was a hit with kids and adults. You can serve them right out of the oven, but they are messy. I found it best to let the pan cool and then place it in in the refrigerator for a few hours and then serve the bars cold.

Let us be thankful for all we have this holiday season.

Festive Fall Pumpkin Bars
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups Spelt Flour **Rice Flour is not dense enough to use**
NOTE: You can also use Arrowhead Mills Gluten All Purpose Baking Mix
· 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
· 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds (depending on taste and allergies)
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon soda
· 3/4 cup butter, room temperature (soy margarine for non-dairy).

Filling:
· 2 cups pumpkin puree (16 ounce can)
· 2/3 cup milk (1/2 cup rice milk for non-dairy)
· 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
· Energy Egg Replacer (1 ½ tsp Replacer with 2 tablespoons warm water) · 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice *

Preparation:
Combine oats, flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the baking soda, and the butter; beat until mixture is crumbly. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture and press remaining mixture into a lightly buttered 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.

Prepare filling
Beat filling ingredients until well blended and smooth. Spread filling over the crust; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Return to oven and bake 25 minutes longer. Refrigerate 3-12 hours then cut into bars.

*The following can be combined to make pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.