Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Fall is upon us, and I made this for the first time last night. It was a delicious hit.

Ingredients

1- 16 oz pkg of pound cake mix

3- eggs

2 tbsp butter

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt NOT KOSHER

1 cup or 2 oz chopped pecans (more or less is ok, completely optional)

Non-standard supplies

None

Instructions

1. Set cream cheese out near oven to help it soften. (for a few hours at room temp if possible)
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Melt butter
4. In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, 1 egg, butter, 2 tsp spice mix. Try to moisten everything. If it seems too dry, that means it's fine. Keep working the mix until everything is part of a crumble - not powder.
5. Spray pan with nonstick spray.
6. With your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the cookie sheet as evenly as you can.
7. With an electric mixer (stand or hand) whip the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add the can of condensed milk. Add 2 remaining eggs one at a time. Add remaining 2 tsp of spice and salt with eggs. Once blended, add can of pumpkin. Mix until blended thoroughly.
8. Pour over crust. Sprinkle nuts over pumpkin mix.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Pumpkin mix will set and start to crack.
10. Cool, chill, cut into bars.
11. Serve with whipped cream if desired