Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

4.46 from 42 ratings

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft, moist pumpkin bars with warm spice and a tangy cream cheese frosting. Choose your pan: a 9x13 for 24 classic bars (25 to 30 minutes), or the original 9x9 for 16 thick, cake style squares like the photos (35 to 45 minutes). Same batter, same frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Fall, Pumpkin, pumpkin bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Cooling 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings bars

Calories 220kcal

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
15 oz pumpkin puree 1 can, not pumpkin pie filling

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened
6 tbsp butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tsp milk only if needed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 inch pan (for classic bars) or a 9x9 inch pan (for thick squares) with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on two sides, and spray it lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until pale and slightly thickened. Beat in the oil, vanilla and pumpkin until smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix on low speed, or stir by hand with a spatula, just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick. Stop mixing as soon as it comes together.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean: 25 to 30 minutes in a 9x13 inch pan, or 35 to 45 minutes in a 9x9 inch pan.
Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Warm bars will melt the frosting.
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then beat in the vanilla. Add milk a teaspoon at a time only if the frosting is too stiff to spread.
Lift the cooled slab out of the pan with the parchment and set it on a cutting board. Spread the frosting over the top and cut into 24 bars (9x13) or 16 squares (9x9). Store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Choose your pan: a 9x13 inch pan gives 24 classic, thinner bars and bakes in 25 to 30 minutes. The original 9x9 inch pan gives 16 thick, cake style squares like the photos and bakes in 35 to 45 minutes. The smaller pan takes longer because the same batter sits deeper, so the heat needs more time to reach the center. Same batter, same frosting. On a 9x9, use about three quarters of the frosting if you prefer a thinner layer.

Pumpkin: use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced.

Flour: plain all-purpose flour. If you only have self-rising flour, leave out the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Spices: 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice can replace the cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

Storage: because of the cream cheese frosting, keep the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfrosted bars freeze well, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator and frost before serving.

Nutrition