Say what now? PARSNIP? PIE? Yup!

The filling is a custard similar in texture and flavor to Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie, in other words YUM!

For our Crazy Ingredient Challenge this month the CIC Bloggers voted for Parsnips and Cardamom. Parsnips are those oversized white carrot looking things in the produce aisle near the turnips and rutabagas. Cardamom is the third most expensive spice per ounce behind saffron and vanilla bean.

Team Candied Ginger was a bit disappointed our ingredient lost in the monthly vote (by ONE vote! just one vote.) Luckily, I like cardamom too. And I actually had that in house so I didn't need to buy it when I picked up the parsnips. Be sure to scroll below the recipe to see what everyone else made.

After going through many choices in my head, I finally settled on these Parsnip Pie Bars.

They tasted absolutely delicious, but so many things went wrong in making them that I have not felt much like baking or blogging for a week.

The pan I used was the Pampered Chef Bar Pan (which I love!)and it was too big for this amount of crust and filling so the bars came out far too thin.

If you want to use that pan or one like it, double the recipe. Or use a 9 x 13 pan as I recommend in the recipe.

Then there was having to go outside to take my photographs because I have horrid lighting in my kitchen after noon. And on one of the last trips, this happened!

And while removing the bars from the oven I got careless and this happened!

Then I turned around while it was cooling, my little taste tester grabbed a spoon and helped himself.

Of course, he had to do it on the opposite side as the one I messed up.

In the end they were great, despite being too thin. Even Mr. "Gag When I Eat a Veggie" loved them. If cardamom isn't your thing, go with pumpkin pie spice.

I combined a few recipes to make these and healthified them a bit by using some whole wheat flour in the crust and swapping yogurt and milk for the buttermilk among other tweaks. They aren't health food, but they aren't all that naughty either.

[Tweet "Parsnip Pie Bars, similar to sweet potato or pumpkin pie in a bar form for smaller servings. #Delicious "]

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey