Recipe for Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today's recipe is a vintage one. It comes from my mother's recipe boxes. And I remember having these bars when I was very young. I completely loved them.

I have to be honest, I am not someone who has to have pumpkin flavored everything in fall. Coffee, tea, pancakes - no, I don't really crave a pumpkin version, thank you very much!

But these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting …  these are very different. They are truly wonderful!

And if I say that, just think how all the real pumpkin lovers will feel!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bars

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Butter
• Pumpkin puree
• Flour
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Cinnamon
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting

• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Vanilla
• Milk
• Powdered (confectioner's) sugar

How to Make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

1. First mix the pumpkin puree with eggs, sugar and oil. I use a hand mixer and beat it to fully combine.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add gradually to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well.
3. Transfer to a 15x10 inch pan. I like to line the pan with parchment paper to make it easier later to remove the cut bars, but that is not strictly necessary.  
4. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until set.  Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting. (you don't want that lovely cream cheese frosting getting all melty and sliding off the bars.)

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Both these ingredients should be at room temperature first.
2. Begin adding the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and mix well after each addition.
3. Add in the vanilla after the first cup, then begin adding a teaspoon or so of milk while mixing each cup of sugar into the bowl.
4. Once all the sugar is mixed in, make final adjustments to the consistency by adding a small amount of powdered sugar and/or milk until your preferred consistency is reached.

Pumpkin Bar Recipe Variations and Substitutions

There are plenty of ways you can vary this recipe, here are a few:

• If cream cheese frosting isn't your thing (wait, what???) you can just use a simple vanilla frosting. Just eliminate the cream cheese and increase the vanilla and milk to make a simpler frosting that will still taste great on these bars.
• You can add a little nut crunch by folding in some toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter. This will add both flavor and texture to the final bars.
• Chocolate chips will add even more sweetness. Experiment with white or semi-sweet chocolate to see which combination lights up your taste buds!

Serving Suggestions for Pumpkin Bars

I personally feel that these bars are nearly perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, but other beverages are also pretty great. I think any kid would love a pumpkin bar with a nice cold glass of milk. What an awesome after-school treat!

And because this makes a nice big pan of bars, they are perfect for a potluck or cookout. Everyone will be so glad you came when you show up with a tray of these!

How to Store Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Because these pumpkin bars have cream cheese frosting, I recommend you store them in the fridge. The recipe does make a pretty big batch so they are great for feeding a crowd. And I consider them deadly to have around if I'm not feeding a crowd because I really cannot resist them!

More desserts with fabulous homemade frosting:

• Strawberry Filled Cake
• Oreo Cupcakes
• Lemon Layer Cake
• Kahlua Chocolate Cake
• Carrot Cake with Pineapple

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Pumpkin Bars - with Cream Cheese Frosting

A delicious cake-like bar with warm pumpkin flavors, smothered in luscious cream cheese frosting. The very best way to celebrate fall!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 160kcal

Author: Sula

Video

Ingredients

• 4 eggs room temperature
• 1 ⅔ cups sugar
• ¾ cup butter melted
• 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups flour all purpose
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• With a hand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, butter and pumpkin puree until well blended.
  4 eggs, 1 ⅔ cups sugar, ¾ cup butter, 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. then gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
  2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
• Pour into a 15x10x1 inch pan. You do not need to grease the pan but lining with parchment paper does make removal of the bars a little easier.
• Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
• When fully cool, spread with cream cheese icing per recipe below.

Notes

Nutrition estimates do not include frosting

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 2975IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

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Cream Cheese Frosting for Bars or Cakes

The perfect frosting for your cake!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Sula

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter softened (1 stick)
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 teaspoon milk
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  ½ cup butter, 8 oz cream cheese
• Begin adding powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. Add vanilla in between the sugar additions.
  4-5 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
• As frosting begins to get very thick, add milk, one teaspoon at a time, to help loosen it up. Adjust amounts of sugar and milk if needed to achieve the perfect spreading consistency.
  1-2 teaspoon milk

Notes

If you need extra frosting, such as for a 3-layer cake, you can increase the powdered sugar to 6 cups and add more milk as needed to get the right consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 31mg | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 588IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.