We’re already more than halfway through October, and I haven’t shared anything pumpkiny yet. That seems like some kind of crime, so I thought I’d better get on it. Luckily, I’ve been working on these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting for a while, and I think I’ve finally gotten them juuuust right.
Pumpkin Desserts For The Win
Pumpkin-spice-flavored things are everywhere, thanks to Starbucks. And honestly? The whole pumpkin spice craze is overrated (yep, I said it).
But while I’m not a huge PSL fan (they’re fine, just too sweet for me), and I can’t stand the scent of pumpkin spice candles (ew), I do love a good pumpkin dessert. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread…all delicious. And these pumpkin bars topped with the dreamiest cream cheese frosting?? They’re absolute heaven.
Bars, Minnesota Style
These are good-old-fashioned frosted bars…the kind you often find at potlucks and funerals here in Minnesota, usually made by sweet old ladies in church basements.
They’re moist, light, and cakey (honestly, this recipe could be called pumpkin sheet cake instead of bars…they’re basically the same thing), and the frosting is fluffy and creamy. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom, these bars are a fall flavor explosion. They’re crazy delicious — way better than any potluck or funeral bars I’ve had before (no offense to those church ladies).
Fair warning: it’s not hard to finish off the whole pan.
A Few Pumpkin Bar Tips
Before we get to baking these tasty bars, a few things to know:
Pumpkin Puree. I typically just use canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling…just plain pumpkin puree), but you can totally bake up a pie pumpkin and make your own. The recipe uses only 1 cup of puree, so if you have some left over you can freeze it in a freezer bag or other airtight container for future use. Or, if you’re a fan of those aforementioned pumpkin spice lattes and want to make your own at home, try making your own pumpkin spice syrup!
Nutmeg. I highly recommend grating fresh nutmeg if you can — it’s so, so much better than pre-ground. It’s much more flavorful and somehow tastes almost creamy. I bought mine from Penzey’s and I use this microplane to grate it.
Extra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting. I amped up my typical cream cheese frosting here by adding even more cream cheese. And you know what? I’ll never go back.
Vanilla Bean Paste. If you can get vanilla bean paste to use in this frosting (and all future frostings), you won’t regret it. You can also scrape a fresh vanilla bean and use that instead. Vanilla extract will work in a pinch, of course…it just won’t be quite as flavorful.
Bring frosting ingredients to room temperature. For the smoothest frosting, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. If your butter or cream cheese are too cold, you’ll end up with lumps.
Ok, I think we’re ready to get going on these bars. They’re quick and easy to make, and delicious to boot. Whip up a batch, throw some “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on TV, and enjoy.
Happy Baking!
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Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1/4 Sheet Pan or 9×13 cake pan
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 1 c all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 1 c (8 oz) pumpkin puree*
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 c butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 c cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste**
- 2 c powdered sugar, sifted to remove clumps
Instructions
Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 1/4-sheet pan with nonstick baking spray (or grease and flour it).
- In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer), beat eggs and oil for 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
- Add sugar and pumpkin puree, and mix well. Then add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan, making sure to spread it evenly and into all of the corners. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer), mix butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well-mixed and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add vanilla bean paste and mix well. Then add powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing until combined in between.
- Once everything is well combined, beat at medium-high speed until frosting is fluffy. Spread all of the frosting on top of the cooled pumpkin bars, then cut and serve!
- Stored any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator (but bring up to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture).