Looking for a new dessert or holiday cookie that is healthier than the rest?
Well, here you go—these festive, cake-like pumpkin bars are sweet, moist, and most of all, very delicious. The crowning touch is the rich-tasting cream cheese frosting. All this and half your daily dose of vitamin A—it’s enough to make you want to celebrate!
Serves Twenty-Four.
Cookie Bar Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon mace
6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 2 1/2-ounce container baby food prunes (or prunes and apples blend)
1 15-ounce can 100 % pure packed pumpkin (like Libby’s)
2/3 cup no-calorie granulated sweetener*
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
¼ cup raisins, finely chopped
Frosting Ingredients
4 ounces tub-style light cream cheese
6 ounces nonfat cream cheese
¼ cup no-calorie granulated sweetener*
2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the margarine and prunes together. Add pumpkin purée, sweetener, molasses, vanilla, and egg. Beat well. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in raisins.
3. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool on rack.
4. In a small bowl, with an electric mixer, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Spread frosting onto cool bars. Refrigerate.
*To use a baking blend, like all-natural Truvia for Baking, use 1/2 the listed measurement.
Nutrition Information Per Serving: (1 bar) Calories 75 | Carbohydrate 8g (Sugars 3 g) | Total Fat 3.5g (Sat Fat 1g) | Protein 3g | Fiber .5g | Cholesterol mg | Sodium 120mg | Food Exchanges: 1/2 Carbohydrate, 1 Fat | Carbohydrate Choices: 1/2 | Weight Watcher Smart Point Comparison: Green 2, Blue 2, Purple 2
