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Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin bars with a spiced sheet-cake crumb and thick cream cheese frosting are baked until the edges pull away and a toothpick comes out clean. Finish with a cinnamon dusting, chill briefly, and cut into neat rectangles for easy dessert squares.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pumpkin bars
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1.67 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin bars
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, then grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Beat the eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until just combined, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges pull away from the sides.
  6. Cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Frost and chill
  1. Beat the cream cheese frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy, then spread over the cooled bars.
  2. Dust the top with cinnamon.
  3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting into bars.

Notes

For the cleanest slices, cool the pan completely and chill 30 minutes before cutting. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze bars (without cutting) for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light swap, use reduced-fat cream cheese and butter-style spread to keep the frosting thick while lowering calories.