Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
My husbands most requested dessert every year during the holidays. These Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are perfectly spiced, moist, and fluffy. A moderate spread of the most simple, light, cream cheese frosting you'll ever have!
Ingredients
For the bars
- 4 eggs
- 1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin I use Libby's
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Cream cheese frosting
- 1 8-ounce package light cream cheese at room temperature not Neufchatel cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pumpkin pie spice for dusting on top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or butter
- In a large bowl add eggs, pumpkin puree, apple sauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cooled butter. Beat on medium speed with electric mixer or stand mixer until combined and batter is fluffy.
- Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice over wet ingredients. Add salt and mix on low until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread out evenly. I usually give it a shake to even out the batter. Place in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until set and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Make frosting
- Add frosting ingredients to a medium bowl. Mix using an electric mixer on low until creamy and smooth. You want the frosting to be thick but still spreadable. If too thick, add 1 tsp of milk to thin it out. Use more if needed.
- Once bars are cooled, frost and dust the top with pumpkin pie spice. Cut into 18 bars or as small as you like.
Notes
Storage:
Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 1 week. Make sure to cover tightly so the cake doesn't dry out. Let set at room temperature for 5 minutes to give the cream cheese a chance to soften.
Nutritional facts include 1 bar out of 18 total.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.