Description
Deliciously moist and spiced pumpkin bars topped with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting, perfect for fall gatherings or a sweet treat any time of year.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Bars
- 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 x 14-inch jelly roll pan and set it aside to ensure the bars don’t stick after baking.
- Make the Batter: Crack eggs into a large bowl and beat them until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, neutral oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully combined. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix to avoid tough bars.
- Bake the Bars: Pour the batter into the greased pan, spreading it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting: Beat the room temperature cream cheese and unsalted butter together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and sifted powdered sugar gradually, mixing well and adjusting the amount of powdered sugar to reach your desired frosting consistency.
- Frost the Bars: Once the pumpkin bars have cooled completely, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Slice into 18 bars and serve.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter when incorporating dry ingredients to prevent tough bars caused by gluten development.
- Use a skewer or toothpick to test doneness; it should come out mostly clean with no wet batter.
- Sift powdered sugar before adding to frosting to avoid lumps; discard any lumps that cannot be sifted through.
- Allow bars to cool fully before frosting to prevent melting or sliding frosting.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute cream cheese and butter with plant-based alternatives.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
