Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Bars recipe will become everyone’s favorite dessert. Topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting, these bars will disappear around a crowd.

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With Thanksgiving only weeks away, I thought I would resurrect this recipe for pumpkin bars.  It was 5 years ago that it was originally posted…and it is still a winner, winner.

I’ve made it 3 times in the past 2 weeks and everyone in our neighborhood knows of Joe’s Awesome Pumpkin Bars.

Why Pumpkin Bars

1. Because they are made with tasty, pumpkin spice ingredients.
2. A recipe makes a 12″ by 17″ sheet pan, (also known as a half sheet pan) #ad, full of tasty pumpkin bars. Enough for a crowd!
3. They bake in 20 minutes.
4. The result is super moist bars.
5. Cream cheese frosting.
6. Pumpkin desserts are in season!
7. They make great treats to give to friends and neighbors.

I got this recipe years ago from a co-worker of MaryJo’s. She would make bars and bring them to work. The way MaryJo puts it, “People would be all elbowing each other to get a piece of Julie’s pumpkin bars!”

That kind of endorsement convinced me that this should be shared.  You too could be the hit of the party by making and serving these moist, cream cheese frosting-topped bars.

Ingredients Needed For Pumpkin Bars

If you are a person who does a lot of baking, you probably have most of these ingredients on hand.

For the bars you will need:

All-Purpose Flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, King Arthur Gluten Free Flour would also work in this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill also has gluten free flour.

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Pumpkin Pie Spices. Cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, and grated nutmeg.

Brown Sugar

Granulated White Sugar

Eggs

Pure Pumpkin Puree. 1 15-ounce can is all you need.

Canola Oil

Vanilla Extract

Salt

Mixing The Bar Ingredients Together

First, mix the dry ingredients together.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Use a spatula or whisk to mix these together.

For this recipe, I used ground nutmeg from Penzey’s spices. You may also use freshly grated nutmeg if you prefer. 

Next, combine the wet ingredients.

In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated white sugar, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla.

A whisk works well to combine all these ingredients.

Now you just add the dry ingredients to the wet.

Start with about a cup of the flour mixture and whisk it until all the flour is wet.

Then add the remainder of the flour and whisk until a nice batter is formed.

If you have a few small lumps of flour left, that is alright because it will bake just fine.

Get Ready To Bake The Pumpkin Bars

Use a half-sheet 12-inch by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet to bake the bars in. (You can also use a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. You would just need to bake the bars for another 5 minutes).

Lightly spray the baking sheet with cooking oil spray. Then pour the batter into the pan.

Use a spatula to even out the batter. I even lift the sheet up and drop it back onto the kitchen counter to make it more even.

Place the baking sheet into your preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the sheet 180° after 10 minutes.

The bars will be done when there is slight browning and separation around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the bars cool and then mix up a batch of cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients For The Frosting

You will need:

• 6 tablespoons of butter at room temperature.
• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature.
• 3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar, (powdered sugar).
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, (optional).

Mix the room-temperature butter with the room-temperature cream cheese in a large bowl until it is smooth. A hand mixer works well for this or even a stand mixer.

Next, add the Pumpkin spice and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Then add the sifted confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth.

Continue to add the powdered sugar until it is all combined and smooth.

Use a spatula to incorporate the dry sugar from the edges of the bowl.

Now you are ready to frost the cooled baked pumpkin bars.

It is best to place dabs of frosting on the baked bars. Use a frosting spreader to evenly spread the cream cheese frosting.

Once the cream cheese frosting is applied, it is best to refrigerate the bars for 60 minutes or more before they are cut into pieces.

Storing the Bars

The bars need to be stored in the refrigerator. I believe that they would last 5 days, covered in the refrigerator, but I don’t think anyone has gone that long without eating them all.

They would be perfect to make a day ahead, refrigerate, and serve the next day.

To freeze the bars, put them into an airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months.  Defrost them by taking them out of the freezer and letting them defrost at room temperature.

That’s what makes the pumpkin bars a great treat to take to work and a sheet pan full serves 32 people, (2 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ piece). 

Frequently Asked Question

This is an easy recipe to put together and the result is much more than the sum of its parts. 

When I was doing these photos, I actually had to grab a piece and eat it!  They are scrumptious!   

Leave a comment to let me know how you liked them!

Also, check out these delicious recipes:

• Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce 
• Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup
• Cranberry Quick Bread
• White Chicken Chili
• Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, yummy bars with cream cheese frosting to serve a crowd.

4.54 from 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin bar recipe, pumpkin bars, pumpkin dessert

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 32 servings

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Joe Boyle

Ingredients

Bars

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 15- oz can Libbey’s pure pumpkin
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

• 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 8 ounce package regular cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, (optional but adds a bit of flavor)

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Instructions

Bars

• In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat together the sugars, eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla for about 60 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth.
• Pour into a greased 12” X 17” (half sheet pan), rimmed sheet pan. See notes.
• Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes. Bars are done when they’re just turning brown around the edges and pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake or the bars will be dry.
• Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

• Beat butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
• Add the vanilla and pumpkin spice and about 1/3 of the sifted confectioner's sugar. Beat this until smooth. Then add another third of the sugar until smooth. Finally, finish beating in the remaining sifted powdered sugar. Use a spatula to scrap down any powdered sugar from the side of the bowl and incorporate it with the mixer.
• Spread the cream cheese frosting on the completely cooled bars. It is best to refrigerate the sheet pan of bars for about an hour before cutting into squares.
• Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated.

Notes

1. 32 servings, approximately 2.5" by 2.5".
2. Prior to slicing the bars, it's best to refrigerate for about an hour or more.
3. Using a rotary pizza cutter is a slick way to cut the bars. Clean off the wheel after every pass.
4. Refrigerate the bars for up to 5 days. To freeze them, put them into an airtight container and put them in your freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature.
5. If you don't have a rimmed 12 x 17-inch sheet pan, a 9 x 13-inch metal cake pan can be used. Just add 5 to 6 minutes to the baking time. Check the doneness with the toothpick method.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal