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With the holidays around the corner, I love a great pumpkin dessert. Especially an easy one that will feed (and please!) a crowd! Like these easy this easy pumpkin bar recipe with cream cheese frosting. These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are soft, fluffy, and super duper moist – all the good things. Full of warm spices, and then covered in a sweet, tangy smooth cream cheese frosting. All it needs is a few sprinkles on top to dazzle your guests.
When it comes to the holidays, I find I always plan way too many things to make. Like. Way. Too. Many. All the pies. Maybe a cake in there. Some homemade rolls. You get the idea.
I find myself overwhelmed by 10 am. But here’s the thing, sometimes simplicity is best. Like these pumpkin bars. Slathered in cream cheese frosting. Come on you know you want to grab one right out of the screen.
And what I love about these bars is how simple they are to make and how they basically can feed your entire neighborhood. I mean that’s a dessert for the holidays. Pumpkin pie is great don’t get me wrong. But when pumpkin is paired with cream cheese frosting it takes the cake i my book. Pardon the pun. Ok I meant the pun. So pardon me for making it.
Before we dive head first into these bars, this recipe is a sneak peak into my cookbook that is coming out – Beginner’s Baking Bible! You can pre-order the cookbook here. It’s chock full of recipes (some traditional, some with a bit of twist on them), tips, and techniques so any newbie to the dessert world can learn to bake delicious dessert. I truly believe that baking doesn’t have to be difficult and I’m hoping it inspires more people to pick up a whisk and put that apron on and bake from scratch.
Why You Will Adore These Pumpkin Bars
- They are EASY to make. These bars use vegetable oil, so the batter whips up quickly.
- BIG on flavor. I mean hello – pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. It’s like pumpkin heaven. Your kitchen is going to smell amazing.
- Feeds EVERYONE. And I mean everyone. I baked these in a large sheet pan, but you could also make these in a 9×13 pan (although some might say it’s more of a cake at this point, but they won’t mind!). Baking them in a sheet pan not only feeds everyone, but also gets more of that bar like feel.
Are Pumpkin Bars And Pumpkin Cake The Same Thing?
These bars are baked in a sheet pan so they have more of a bar look. They eat a little like cake because they are so darn moist. But these are denser than a traditional pumpkin cake would be. So you can eat these with your hands (I recommend a napkin!) or go ahead grab a fork.
What Do I Need To Make This Pumpkin Bar Recipe?
Ingredients:
- Dry Ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
- Wet Ingredients: Eggs, Granulated White Sugar, Vegetable Oil, and Pumpkin puree
How Do I Make Pumpkin Bars? (step by step)
- Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line the pan with parchment paper (for easiest removal) a 10×15 rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll pan).
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with until thoroughly combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Bake the bars. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire cooling rack completely and cut into squares.
Once Cool….Frost Away!
Once the bars have cooled, go ahead and frost these beautiful bars up. I slathered them in my cream cheese frosting recipe. I made a double batch, one didn’t seem to be quite enough! But you could also try and switch things up and try using a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It would be divine.
Just make sure they are cool, cool, cool. Or that frosting will melt, melt. melt.
And then sprinkles, my friend. Or maybe a pumpkin candy on top? Either way. Delish.
Recipe Tips
- Measure Your Flour The Right Way. Whether you are beginner baker, or a pro in the kitchen I believe one of the biggest missteps in baking is incorrectly measured flour. For best accuracy, use a kitchen scale. But if you do use dry measuring cups then be sure to spoon and level the flour in your cup. Do NOT pack it down into the cup, which can result in too much flour. For a complete tutorial, check out this post on how to measure flour.
- Use Room Temperature Eggs. Always use room temperature eggs so they are easily incorporated into the other ingredients. I place my eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before cracking them into the bowl.
- Be Sure To Use Pumpkin Puree. Pumpkin pie mix is NOT the same thing. It has added ingredients like spices, and sugar so you wouldn’t be able to swap one for the other.
- Allow These To Cool Before Frosting. I know patience is NOT my thing either. But frost them too soon and you will regret it. Your frosting will just melt all over these bars. So let them cool completely at least a couple hours before frosting these.
Pumpkin Bars FAQ’s
Absolutely you can! Up to 5 days ahead of time. Game changer for the holidays right? Just keep them covered in the refrigerator.Â
I haven’t made them this way, so it could affect the overall texture. And I always recommend starting with replacing half of the oil with applesauce.
More Pumpkin Recipes To Try
And don’t forget to check out my new cookbook coming out and pre-order now!
Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
For the bars
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (297 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegetable oil
- 29- ounce can pumpkin puree
For the cream cheese frosting
- 16 ounces full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar (confectioners,icing)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
For the bars
- Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10×15 rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll pan) or line with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with until thoroughly combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Bake the bars. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire cooling rack completely and cut into squares.
For the frosting
- Cream the butter until smooth. Add in the cream cheese.
- Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in a pinch of salt.
- When bars have cooled, frost with the cream cheese frosting
Notes
- Storage: You can make these bars 5 days ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge.Â
- Pumpkin: Use pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling.Â
Alicia says
I made this for a Christmas party. It was nearly polished off and got many compliments. The pumpkin and cream cheese frosting are a delicious combo. Great recipe!
Heather says
That’s so great Alicia! I’m so glad everyone loved them!