Pumpkin Addiction


There have been weeks when we go through Starbucks drivethrough at least twice for their perfect pumpkin bread.  Carly's addicted.  If she even smells that we're close to highway 16 she will, without thinking, shake her six year old nose like Samantha used to in Bewitched,

and call out "Daddy, Starbucks?  Pumpkin bread is good for you.  There's a vetchatable in it." She's got me there.  We've tried making our own over the years, secretly competing with Starbucks and haven't quite got there, until, maybe, almost...last night

The recipe was pretty straightforward, with Libby's canned pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, etc., but what set these over the pumpkin patch edge was pumpkin pie spice and the smooth icing eventually whipped and spread over the top.  Our own batch came out close to the glossy magazine page above, but with one exception – I found out you do HAVE TO cool your bars, brownies, cake, whatever, before spreading the powder sugar based frosting over the top.  If you don't, the moisture from the warm cake rises and gathers at the top and mixes with the frosting, which then slips off the roof like snow on a house

The bars up through the center of the pan are still almost perfect -- to the point of 3 and 4 star reviews from the Hess girls -- but the upper left bar has lost its top.  Oh well -- we staved off at least two runs through 'Bucks' with this attempt, and these were even softer.