Pumpkin Gooey Bars

Okay. These are pretty killer. Paula Deen? You shouldn't have. Okay, well, maybe you should have... but these little delectable treats are borderline evil. Paula's original Gooey Butter Cake recipe is delicious on its own, and it is also delicious once you add in chocolate chips which I've done before. She notes on her website that the Pumpkin Gooey Bar version is her favorite of all Gooey Butter Cakes, and so when I was looking for a dessert to make for my work's Chili Cook-Off, I decided it was the perfect time to try out her Pumpkin Gooey Bars.

These are great because they are simple - you start with a yellow cake box and add a few ingredients and pat them into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. I made two batches at a time and it was great. Then you mix the pumpkin, cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar and such and spread that over top the cake bottom and then bake. Not too shabby!

And the result? These are sooo tasty. They are a gooey cakey chewy bottom with a sweet pumpkin pie topping, almost like a cheesecake. The topping blends perfectly into the cake bottom and there certainly were no leftovers when I unveiled these at the Chili Cook-Off. If you love pumpkin pie, you must try these - I'd be surprised if you didn't prefer these over the classic version of pumpkin pie! This might be a good recipe for some one who wants a pumpkin dessert but something a little different than your average boring pie. (Don't get me wrong, pumpkin pie is delicious.)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gooey Bars
From Paula Deen as found on FoodNetwork.com here.

Ingredients


Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.


Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Try these, you'll like them!!!!!!!! Unless you're one of those people who doesn't like rich, deliciously decadent desserts. :)