This pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting has moist, decadent pumpkin cake bar deliciously topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, which might be one of the most perfect culinary creations ever! Cream cheese makes everything better. I mean, have you ever tried cream cheese cookies?
Fall is the time of the year when we typically pull out our pumpkin recipes for those cookie trays and swaps. I’m here to tell you if you’re a fan of all things pumpkin (like me) you’ll gonna love my pumpkin spice cookies too!
If you’re in love with fruit cookies, you can make banana chocolate chip cookies and coconut cookies recipe when the season changed!
Check them out…
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What I Love About This Recipe
I think everything about this pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting recipe is perfect, but most specifically…
- The cream cheese frosting
- Moist, chewy cake-like pumpkin bars
- Bursting with cinnamon and spice and everything nice
- Amazingly simple to make
How To Make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Baking up these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting is insanely simple. Just whip up the batter, pour it in the pan, and slide it in the oven.
Mix up the cream cheese frosting while the cakey bars are cooling. Frost and enjoy it! These are so delicious.
Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Recipe Notes
These pumpkin bars taste best with a light spongy texture so be sure not to overmix the batter. Blend just until ingredients are incorporated. Overmixing strengthens wheat gluten in flour and gives you a tougher chewy texture.
Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Icing Ingredient Notes
When you frost these special pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing, you want it to stay where you put it. So, it’s crucial to ensure your pumpkin bars are completely cooled before frosting or it’ll just melt and slide right off. Argh!
One of the great things about this recipe is that it can be easily adapted to make other things like pumpkin pie bars or even blackberry pie bars in the summertime.
Tools to Make
Really you don’t need any special tools to make this recipe happen, but it does help if you have an electric mixer when you get to the cream cheese frosting. You don’t want to use it on the batter since you’re only gently incorporating ingredients.
The main thing is the size of the pan. I make mine in a 17 x 12 x 1 jelly roll pan, so get as close to that size as possible.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
These intensely scrumptious pumpkin bars will stay fresh and yummy in the fridge for up to 3 days but they’ll get gobbled up way before then. You should also keep them sealed tightly with cling wrap or the cakey deliciousness may dry out.
Can You Freeze Them?
You sure can! According to food handling guidelines, these pumpkin bars will hold up great in the freezer for 3 months. You could also freeze them unfrosted for 4-6 months.
Slow thaw overnight or for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Pumpkin Bars Cream Cheese Frosting Make Ahead Tips
Here’s an easy pumpkin bars cream cheese frosting make-ahead tip for my fellow preppers out there.
If you don’t want to freeze, you can make the pumpkin bars and the icing at the same time but store them separately until serving time. This helps maximize freshness and they stay oh so yummy!
Serving Recommendations
These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting pair beautifully with a tall cold glass of milk but they’re also great with a rich latte or hot cup of coffee. I love pulling these out on those dreary fall afternoons and taking them to church potlucks.
I also love that I can easily adapt this recipe to make pumpkin pie fudge or s’more bars once the pumpkin bars are all gobbled up!
Recipe Variations
One great thing about these little beauties (besides their simplicity) is how versatile the recipe is. A few simple tweaks can give you a multitude of different treats. Here are some simple suggestions.
- Trade the pumpkin for lemon and add some coconut just for good measure to enjoy fresh tangy lemon coconut bars that leave a lasting impression.
- Opt for luscious strawberries instead of pumpkin to make strawberry bars finished with a rich brown sugar crumb topping that’ll knock your socks off!
- Substitute tangy lemon and blueberries for pumpkin fruit to whip up some insanely delicious lemon blueberry bars that steal the show.
- Swap a few simple ingredients to serve up sweet-n-lovely coconut bars that spread miles of smiles and dress up any plate.
- Tweak this recipe with white chocolate and cranberries to whip up some cranberry bliss bars they’ll welcome on any table.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ground cinnamon
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ground cloves
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can solid packed pumpkin
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix flour (2 cups), baking soda (1 teaspoon), baking powder (2 teaspoons), salt (1/2 teaspoon), cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), ginger (1/2 teaspoon), cloves (1/2 teaspoon), and nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon) in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs (4), oil (1 cup), sugar (2 cups), and pumpkin (1 can). Gradually add the dry ingredients to egg mixture and blend well.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased rimmed baking sheet (half sheet size-17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare to frost by beating together all frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.
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More Pumpkin Desserts Recipes
Here are even more tasty pumpkin desserts you may enjoy serving and you’ll surely enjoy gobbling up.
- Pumpkin Parfaits – Velvety creamy pumpkin pie filling cascading between layers of golden Oreo crumbles.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – take those awesome chocolate chip cookies to the next level for the fall season.
- Pumpkin Lasagna – Layers of sweet pumpkin bliss, sweet Cool Whip, and cream cheese filling cradles by a gingersnap crust.
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies – candy-coated deliciousness with warm pumpkin undertones
- Pumpkin Scones – Moist little pumpkin flavored biscuits drizzled with a sweet sticky glaze.
Conclusion
Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are like the end-all-be-all of decadent pumpkin desserts. They’re sweet, moist, delicate, and addictingly delicious. Fall sweet treats know no bounds like these yummy little pumpkin bars.
These bad boys are one of my favorite fall confections and I just know your family is gonna’ love them too. And yes, they’re gonna’ want seconds!
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So cute!
Thanks, Cambridge! 😀
Your Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting calls for eggs in instructions but does not list how many???
Hey Jane. It calls for 4 eggs. Thanks for noticing. I’ve amended the recipe 🙂