Name: Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting - Katiebird Bakes
Brand: katiebirdbakes.com
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Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting - Katiebird Bakes

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Skip to contentJump to RecipePin RecipeThese pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are a must every fall – they’re easy to make and feature pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and olive oil for a soft texture, with tangy cream cheese frosting on top. This is a smaller batch, less sweet version of the traditional recipe and fits in a 9×9 or 8×8 inch square pan.The first Thanksgiving I spent with my husband Brian’s family, way back in 2009 when we were still in college, his mom Colleen made pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting for dessert. I’d never had them before — I’m not sure how that’s possible but it’s true — and they blew me away.The combination of soft, gently spiced pumpkin cake bars and super smooth cream cheese frosting made for a dessert that everyone would sneak little pieces of throughout the day…and sometimes for breakfast. Colleen has made them many times since and they’re quite simply irresistible.I knew I wanted to feature a version of her recipe on here, but it took me a while to figure out how to scale it down. The original, like most pumpkin bar recipes, makes a huge batch and calls for a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan. That’s great when you have a crowd of people to feed at Thanksgiving, but not so great when there’s just two of you in one little apartment, staring down a concerning number of pumpkin bars all day.I determined that based on volume, the best way to cut the recipe in half would be to use a 9×9 inch square pan. This would allow the pumpkin bars to remain spread out and shorter than a cake would be. To be honest, there’s very little difference between pumpkin bars and pumpkin cake; the height is the main factor, and pumpkin bars are supposed to be slightly denser and less fluffy than cake.But they’re basically little cake bars. And we love them for it.You could use an 8×8 inch square pan if that’s what you have on hand, but know that your bars will be much thicker due to the smaller pan, and the bake time will be longer. It will be pumpkin cake. And that’s ok! I give instructions in the recipe if that’s what you choose to do.This isn’t going to take long to explain, and that’s what I love about this recipe. No mixer needed for the cake part!Whisk dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt in a medium bowl.Whisk wet ingredients. Oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla in a large bowl.Combine! Stir the dry into the wet JUST until combined and no flour pockets remain – the batter might still be a little lumpy, but that’s better than dry and tough pumpkin bars (this happens if you overdevelop the gluten by stirring too much).Bake. Since these are thinner, you only need about 25 minutes in a 9×9 inch pan. It’s done when the cake springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. An 8×8 inch pan will take closer to 30 minutes and will result in much thicker bars.Cool, then frost! Whip up the cream cheese frosting while the bars are cooling. I use my hand mixer and it takes 3 minutes!Can I use an 8×8 inch square pan instead of a 9×9 inch pan? Yes, but the bars will be much thicker – it will basically be a pumpkin cake (not a bad thing, just different!). The bake time will also be longer, 28-32 minutes. How long do pumpkin bars last? Do they need to be refrigerated? Unfrosted pumpkin bars are fine at room temperature for up to 3 days. Frosted pumpkin bars should be stored covered in the fridge and will last up to 5 days. Can I freeze pumpkin bars? Yes! You can freeze the baked pumpkin bars frosted or unfrosted. Make sure they are completely cooled, and chilled if they are frosted so the frosting can firm up first. Tightly wrap in plastic and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then eat cold or let come to room temperature before serving.I can’t wait for you to try these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. They’re a fall dessert I look forward to every single year and every time I have them, I wonder why pumpkin isn’t a year-round food. They barely lasted three days here and I challenge you to keep them around any longer than that!Print RecipePin Recipefrom votesLike this recipe?&nbsp; Please rate it and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram&nbsp;@katiebirdbakes, and&nbsp;sign up for my email list&nbsp;to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.Very Nice Valentine Day cake recipeReplyWhy does your equipment list state “mixer” when your instructions state whisk for both dry and wet ingredients?I just made these and used a mixer on wet ingredients; hopefully the bars will turn out OK.ReplyThis is my new favorite desert to make for fall. It is so moist and soft and paired with the icing it is truly a 10/10!!ReplyThank you for sharing this delightful recipe. My family and guests devoured the whole thing in seconds! I put some pieces aside for my dairy allergic son and topped his with oat whip.It’s easy to make, looks nice enough for guests and is the most soft and delicious treat. My husband keeps asking when I’m making it again.ReplyI'm KatieI'm a lawyer who loves to bake. Katiebird Bakes is a library of sophisticated yet approachable dessert recipes for the home baker who doesn’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. Here you’ll find simple, streamlined recipes for cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, and everything in between. Read more...single layer cake recipescookie recipesbrownie recipes

Skip to contentJump to RecipePin RecipeThese pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are a must every fall – they’re easy to make and feature pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and olive oil for a soft texture, with tangy cream cheese frosting on top. This is a smaller batch, less sweet version of the traditional recipe and fits in a 9×9 or 8×8 inch square pan.The first Thanksgiving I spent with my husband Brian’s family, way back in 2009 when we were still in college, his mom Colleen made pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting for dessert. I’d never had them before — I’m not sure how that’s...

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting - Katiebird Bakes

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