Pumpkin Bars With Cream-Cheese Frosting

Makes about 16 bars INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

16 ounce can of solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup nuts, chopped (optional) 3 ounces cream cheese 6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk, or more as needed DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-by-15inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and vegetable oil and mix well. Add eggs one at a time. Alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin to mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in nuts and fold mixture into baking pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until baked through. Let cool, then frost.

To make the frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth with an electric mixer, adding milk as needed to thin to spreading consistency. — Contributed by Linda Sue Liu