"Pumpkin bars are a fall staple recipe, with rich pumpkin spice flavor and the best ever cream cheese frosting. These bars are incredibly moist yet sturdy enough to hold (no fork needed)."
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Prep time: 55mins
Cook time: 25mins
Serves or Makes: 24
Recipe Card
ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest, packed
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a 10×15” baking sheet pan with parchment paper (if you’d like to lift bars out of pan).
Step 2
Whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla and eggs.
Step 4
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in finely chopped walnuts.
Step 5
Spoon batter into lined or greased pan, spreading into an even layer. Bake for 22-27 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6
Remove from oven and let cool completely right in the pan. Once the bars have been cooling at room temperature for 15 minutes, you can finish cooling them in the fridge to speed up the process.
Step 7
For the frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter in a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and whipped (1-2 minutes). Add vanilla, orange zest, and powdered sugar. Start mixer on low so the sugar doesn’t fly, and then increase the speed to medium-high until frosting is creamy and whipped (1-2 minutes).
Step 8
Use a spatula or cake knife to frost pumpkin bars. I use all of the frosting.
Step 9
Serve as-is cut into squares, or decorate with more finely chopped walnuts, holiday sprinkles, orange zest, or pumpkin pie spice.