Description
Deliciously moist pumpkin bars made with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a creamy cream cheese frosting perfect for fall and holiday gatherings.
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 oven and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 x 14-inch jelly roll pan to prevent sticking and set it aside for later.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, crack and beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, neutral oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract, whisking until everything is well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking just until fully incorporated without overmixing.
- Bake the bars: Pour the batter evenly into the greased pan. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
- Prepare the frosting: Beat together the room temperature cream cheese and unsalted butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and sifted powdered sugar in increments, beating well after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
- Frost the bars: Once the pumpkin bars are fully cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Slice into 18 bars and serve.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter when adding the dry ingredients to prevent tough bars from developing due to gluten formation.
- Use a toothpick or skewer to test doneness; if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the bars are done.
- Sift powdered sugar before adding to frosting to avoid lumps, discarding any large lumps that won’t easily pass through the sieve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
