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Pumpkin bars on a plate.
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Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

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

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