It’s that time of the year for all things pumpkin! My family loves pumpkin pancakes, homemade pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin gooey butter cake, and of course these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Bar Ingredients
To make this pumpkin bars recipe, you will need all purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, eggs, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar). This pumpkin bars recipe is one of my all time favorite dessert recipes! Some of my other favorite fall desserts are pear custard pie, caramel apple dip and Dutch apple pie.
How Do You Make Pumpkin Bars?
Tips For The Perfect Pumpkin Bars
This recipe calls for a jelly roll sized pan which is 10″x 15″. You can try to make this recipe in a 9″ x 13″ pan, but the bars will be thicker and take longer to cook. I prefer the thinner bars so that you end up with the perfect cake to frosting ratio. Use an offset spatula to make sure both your pumpkin bar batter and frosting are spread in even layers. Don’t be tempted to use pumpkin pie filling here, it’s not the same thing as pumpkin puree and you will not get good results. Feel free to make your own homemade pumpkin puree. You can reduce the fat content of these bars by using 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil instead of the full cup of oil that the recipe calls for. Just be aware the texture may be a little different in the end product.
Flavor Variations
These pumpkin bars are great as-is, but you can easily customize the ingredients to suit your tastes. To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Next, add the powdered sugar gradually, then mix in the vanilla extract. Spread the frosting over the bars, then top with sprinkles. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Add-Ins: Feel free to add in up to 3/4 cup of pecans, walnuts, coconut or butterscotch chips for extra flavor. Frosting: Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the frosting to turn it into a chocolate frosting. You can also add other flavorings to the frosting such as ground cinnamon or almond extract. Toppings: No sprinkles on hand? Top your bars with candied pecans or candied walnuts, mini chocolate chips, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or toffee bits. Chocolate chips: Feel free to mix in up to a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in your batter.
I make these pumpkin bars all through the fall months. They’re great for class parties, as an afternoon snack, or for a Thanksgiving dessert to feed a crowd. They’re a fall tradition in my house!
Pumpkin Bars Video
