Description
Soft, spiced pumpkin bars topped with a simple cream cheese frosting. Perfect make-ahead holiday dessert — ready in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (240 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (120 ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (113 g)
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Bake and frost: Pour batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Beat frosting ingredients together, then spread over cooled bars and slice.
Notes
Tested twice; best texture at 28 minutes bake time. For dairy-free, use dairy-free cream cheese and vegan butter in the frosting. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 GF baking blend. Store frosted bars in the fridge up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
Keywords: quick pumpkin bars recipe, pumpkin dessert, easy pumpkin bars, holiday pumpkin treats, cream cheese frosting pumpkin bars