Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup white flour
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ c. sugar, divided
• ½ c. brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup tub spread or stick margarine (*look for brand with no trans fat & no partially hydrogenated oils)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese, softened, cubed
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix flours, ¼ c. sugar, and brown sugar; cut in spread/margarine until crumbly. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup for topping.

Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Bake 15 minutes.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, spices, and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla.  Add egg and egg whites; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over warm crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack.  Serve or refrigerate, covered, within 2 hours of baking.

Makes 24 bars.