Pear Bars in Paula Deen Cookware

If you are a little tired of pumpkin pies, and it's not even Christmas, then consider this nice little treat. It is still nice and wintry, but it won't make you resent the pumpkin! I've also heard that pumpkin is in short supply, so relieve the shippers and switch to another in-season product. Its unique moisture and flavor will make it a hit!

Bake the bars in a 9" square stoneware baker (which you can win! see below) or double the recipe and put it into a 9x13" baking pan.

Pear Bars

¼ cup Butter, melted (1/2 stick)

½ c Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

½ t Vanilla extract

½ c Pear Puree baby food

1/2 cup Milk, 1% or almond milk

2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix (has baking soda) (or use 2 cups favorite gluten-free flour mix and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

scant ¼ tsp Salt

1 cup Butterscotch pieces

1 Bartlett Pear

1/2 cup Lemon-lime soda pop

1 bottle Caramel sauce, warmed slightly (one with a squeeze top is convenient)

Using a stand mixer and flat beater attachement, beat the sugar and butter together until creamy. Stir in the pear puree, milk, egg, vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in the flour and salt thoroughly. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the butterscotch pieces. Pour into a 9" greased stoneware baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Thinly slice the pear, and dip slices into soda pop to prevent from browning.

Place one bar on a dessert plate. Lay three slices of pear next to it. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top for a sweet garnish.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

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Stoneware is one of the easiest items to bake in, and a 9" stoneware baking pan is a versatile item that easily fits into even well-stocked kitchens. The Paula Deen Cookware collection is both functional and beautiful, and the stoneware is especially handy. The benefit of cooking with stoneware is that the browning of the crust is more even, because heat is distributed throughout the surface of the pan.

Reader, you have the unique opportunity to win this stoneware pan for Christmas! You can also check out other great Paula Deen Cookware items by clicking on the picture below.

Cookware.com has allowed me to offer the stoneware pan to one of my readers! The winner will be chosen at random, based on those who comment on this post. Let me know what your favorite baked Christmas dessert is, and I will select a random reader from the response.

Happy Holidays!