Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting made with pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin spice and then topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Soft, moist and absolutely the perfect fall dessert!
It’s no secret that we really love pumpkin around here. Even with all of the fabulous pumpkin recipes we have, I still keep finding new favorites. Not sure how that is possible, but I really do think these pumpkin brownies are one of the best pumpkin desserts I’ve tried so far. My family devoured all of them within about 24 hours and kept asking when I was going to make more.
What are Pumpkin Bars?
Pumpkin Bars are more dense than cake and almost have a bit of a brownie consistency to them. Not even sure how to describe them, but they are moist and delicious! They are frosted with a simple cream cheese frosting which is absolutely incredible and pairs so well with the pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Bars
Butter – You’ll need 3 sticks of butter. Yep, that sounds like a lot, but I promise it’s totally worth it. And this recipe makes a really big pan of brownies, so it’s really not as bad as it sounds! Just make sure to soften the butter to room temperature before creaming with the sugar.
Sugar – Can’t make a dessert without sugar, right? Regular granulated sugar provides just the right amount of sweetness and flavor.
Eggs– You need 6 eggs! Again, that’s a lot, but they will help to provide that “brownie” consistency that is amazing.
Pumpkin – Just use pumpkin straight from the can or you can use your own homemade version if you prefer. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin.
Vanilla extract – The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better.
Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works great, but you can use cake flour if you prefer.
Pumpkin pie spice – Just a little bit of this favorite fall spice adds a lot of flavor, so don’t skip it!
Cinnamon – Yep, there is cinnamon in the pumpkin pie spice, but it never hurts to add a little more!
INGREDIENTS IN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Cream cheese – You’ll need two, eight ounce bricks of cream cheese. They can be regular cream cheese or a light or non-fat version. Just make sure they are softened to room temperature before adding to the other ingredients.
Vanilla extract – Again, the higher the quality of the vanilla, the better!
Butter – Just because there’s not enough butter in the brownies, themselves, right?!
Powdered sugar – Kind of important in frosting – gives the sweetness, flavor and smooth texture that we want!
How to make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat oven to 400°.
Cream butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes and then add eggs and beat for another 1-2 minutes.
Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and mix until well combined.
Pour batter into a well greased 10X15X1 pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before making the frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and butter together until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the other 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the frosting is a little bit too thick to spread, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin it out. Spread over the top of the cooled brownies. Slice and serve.
You can store these at room temperature or in the refrigerator. My kids actually prefer them cold, but it’s totally up to you!
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Frosting:
- 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- fall sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cream butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes and then add eggs and beat for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into a well greased 10X15X1 pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before making the frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and butter together until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the other 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the frosting is a little bit too thick to spread, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin it out. Spread over the top of the cooled brownies. Add sprinkles if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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HOW DO YOU SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE?
Cream cheese is easy to soften – you can set it out at room temperature or soften it more quickly in the microwave.
-To soften at room temperature more quickly, just set the cream cheese on a plate and cut into smaller pieces. The cream cheese should reach room temperature in about 15-20 minutes with this method.
-To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, remove the foil packaging and set the cream cheese in a small bowl or on a plate. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds. If the cream cheese is still cold and hard, continue to microwave for about 5 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft throughout. Just make sure not to microwave it too long or it will start to melt!
WHAT KIND OF CREAM CHEESE IS USED IN FROSTING?
All types of cream cheese work well when making cream cheese frosting! I have tried regular cream cheese, the reduced fat cream cheese and even fat free cream cheese and they all turn out wonderfully! The consistency will be slightly different, depending on what type of cream cheese you use.
MORE DELICIOUS PUMPKIN RECIPES TO TRY SOON!
- MAPLE PUMPKIN SPICE POPCORN
- EASY PUMPKIN PIE CAKE
- PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE
- PUMPKIN DINNER ROLLS
- EASY PUMPKIN MOUSSE
- EASY PUMPKIN FUDGE
- BEST PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE
- PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS
- 3-INGREDIENT BAKED PUMPKIN DONUTS
- BEST PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES
- PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE
- PUMPKIN PIE BARS
- PUMPKIN SPICE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
- MAPLE ICED PUMPKIN BARS
- PUMPKIN POKE CAKE
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting made with pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin spice and then topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Soft, moist and absolutely the perfect fall dessert!
Ashley says
There is everything to love about these. The perfect pumpkin flavor!
Hanna says
These are everything I love about fall! Where did you find your sprinkles, so cute!
Kathy Green says
Has anyone tried making these in a 9 x 13 pan? I don’t have a pan with the sides that fits this recipe. How would you adjust the baking time for a smaller pan?
Nellie says
I would just increase the baking time by about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t overcooking. Might need a little more time, might need a little less. And the brownies will be pretty thick too…but I’m sure they will still be delicious!
Laurie Brooks says
Made these for my brother and 13 of his friends. My brother said there was some arm wrestling to see who got the leftovers!
Nellie says
My kids fight over these every time I make them too!
Freida says
that sounds like a whole lot of sugar … 3 cups for only 1 1/2 cups of flour
Nicole says
sugar doesnt just help to make you brownies sweeter, but they also help to make them fudgy and rich
Elayne Thomas says
What size can of pumpkin do you need? The small or the large?
Nicole says
the smaller/standard size of pumpkin puree should be enough to measure out 1 1/2 cups from