Description
Moist, spiced pumpkin bars topped with creamy frosting — a fall dessert that’s now even more popular than apple pie.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce substitute)
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, then oil, then pumpkin puree, mixing until smooth.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined.
- Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool bars completely before frosting.
- For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla and salt. Mix until fluffy.
- Spread frosting over cooled bars. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Always use pure pumpkin puree, not pie filling. Allow bars to cool fully before frosting to avoid melting. Avoid over-mixing to keep texture light and tender.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: pumpkin bars, fall dessert, cream cheese frosting, pumpkin spice