Award-winning Pumpkin Bars

I made these pumpkin bars for an Apple vs. Pumpkin contest they had at our ward Halloween party. The recipe was in my brother's family cookbook but I had never made them before and had never even tasted them before this night. We were late for the party and Michelle and Cathy rushed them in as a last minute entry, and they ended up winning the best pumpkin prize. Hence, the "award-winning" title. They are pretty good and are a fun fall treat.

BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin, canned or fresh
4 eggs

FROSTING
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, blend all bar ingredents (through and including eggs) at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Halloween from our little M&Ms!!!