Pumpkin bars

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup salad oil

2 cups sugar

1 or 2 cups pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup nuts or raisins, optional

Combine all ingredients. Grease and flour cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 pound powdered sugar

1 teaspoon milk (more if needed)

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together and beat well. Spread over slightly warm pumpkin bars.

— Nan Diedrick, St. Joseph

Pumpkin bars

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 can pumpkin

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix the first four ingredients together until blended; add the remaining ingredients in order. Mix well until smooth. Spread in a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cream cheese frosting

1 box cream cheese, softened

1 stick oleo

1 box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

With a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and oleo and gradually add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

— Wendy Kimble, St. Joseph

Chocolate swirl pumpkin crunch pie

1 can solid-pack pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 can evaporated milk (12- to 13-ounces)

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine ingredients in order given; pour into pie shell. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on low heat, stirring until smooth. Drop melted chocolate with a tablespoon on top of pie mixture, swirl with knife for marble effect (be careful not to cut into the crust). Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 35 minutes. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle prepared crumb crunch over top of pie; continue baking 20 minutes longer.

Crumb crunch

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over pie and bake the remaining 20 minutes. Best when served warm or room temperature.

— Christy McFarland, St. Joseph

Frosted pumpkin spice bars

1 package (18.25 ounces) spice cake mix

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing

3 large eggs

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package (16 ounces) powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside. Beat cake mix, pumpkin, dressing and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 32 to 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until well blended. Spread over cooled cake. Cut into pieces to serve and store any leftovers in refrigerator.

— Maxine Moore, St. Joseph

Pumpkin pie fudge

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup mashed pumpkin (canned)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 package vanilla flavored baking chips (12 ounces)

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using butter or margarine, lightly grease the sides and bottom of a medium saucepan. Place the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, salt and pumpkin pie spice in the saucepan. Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking chips and marshmallows until melted. Stir in the nuts and vanilla. Pour into an 8-inch square pan that has been lined with foil and greased. Chill mixture until set. Cut into small squares to serve. Cover and store in refrigerator. Yield: approximately four to five dozen pieces

— Ron Caw, St. Joseph

Pumpkin bars

Bars:

4 eggs

1 can pumpkin (15 ounces)

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon soda

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

Icing:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

For bars, combine ingredients and beat until light colored and fluffy. Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Whip icing ingredients until fluffy and spread evenly over bars.

— Diana Mazur, St. Joseph

Pumpkin Cake

1 cup canola oil

3 eggs

1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one 10-inch bundt or tube pan. Cream oil, beaten eggs, pumpkin and vanilla together. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for five minutes then turn out onto a place and drizzle with powdered sugar frosting.

Powdered sugar frosting

1 tablespoon butter/oleo

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Water as needed to thin

Melt butter/oleo in microwave-safe dish. Add vanilla and stir. Add powdered sugar and use water as needed to thin frosting to desired consistency. Drizzle over pumpkin cake.

— Tammy Talbot, St. Joseph

Pumpkin-date torte

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped nuts

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon soda

Mix dates, nuts and two tablespoons flour; set aside. Melt butter; remove from heat and blend in brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture, mixing well. Stir in floured dates and nuts. Pour into greased round 9-inch cake pan. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 12 slices.

— Carlyn Kline, St. Joseph

Pumpkin swirled cheesecake

2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies

1/2 cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

6 tablespoons margarine, melted

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Mix all ingredients and press in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

3 (8 ounces) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, divided

3 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mix on low after each addition just until blended. Reserve 1 1/2 cups batter and set aside. In remaining batter, stir in 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, maple syrup and spices. Spoon 1/2 of this mix into crust, top with spoonfuls of 1/2 of the reserved plain batter. Repeat layers. Cut through batters with knife to marbleize. Bake 60 minutes. Remove from oven and loosen rim by running a knife around the edge. Cool completely before removing rim. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight. Garnish as desired.

— Lori Brown, St. Joseph