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Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Always a decision this time of the year as to which pumpkin bars to make – silky pumpkin cheesecake bars, pumpkin bars with a crunchy oat crust, pumpkin bars with a maple sugar streusel topping, and the list goes on.  I’m starting the Fall season off with the silky cheesecake version. It is the ultimate in comfort foods as the weather turns cool.

Three pumpkin cheesecake bars with cream cheese frosting
Three pumpkin cheesecake bars with cream cheese frosting

Jump to: RECIPE | Canned vs Fresh Pumpkin | Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Recipes

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Canned Pumpkin vs Fresh Pumpkin or Squash

Although we do grow a lot of different varieties of pumpkins and squash on our small farm, I’ve found the canned pumpkin to be the go-to pumpkin filling for bars and other sweet treats. 

After adding the amount of sugar and spices that pumpkin bars and cakes call for, you can’t really distinguish the nuances of which variety of winter squash you use, and the canned pumpkin is just as nutritional if that is a concern.

We are, after all, making a sweet treat and sometimes it’s difficult to justify the prep work required of fresh pumpkins for something with plenty of sugar.

To me it is similar to my earlier years as a bartender when customers would order a really expensive bourbon and coke.  The sweetness of the coke was so overpowering I’m sure they could not tell the difference between that expensive high-end bourbon and the less expensive house bourbon.  

Now, a bourbon on the rocks or with a splash of something less sweet, well that’s a different story.

So, I save the heirloom varieties of pumpkin and squash for meals where I can truly savor the differences in their nuttiness and sweetness, and use the canned (100% pumpkin) for sweet treats. 

What is Really in Canned Pumpkin?

It turns out that most canned pumpkin includes different varieties of Winter squash, often butternut.

The main thing to watch for is that you don’t purchase canned “pumpkin pie filling”. That option has spices already added, and sometimes it includes sugar, so your recipes will be off.

You want to make sure you get a can that states 100% pumpkin. Libby is my go-to brand.

Cream cheese frosting on pumpkin bars
Cream cheese frosting on pumpkin bars

Sweet or Savory Pumpkin Recipes for Fall

Here are a few of my favorite recipes using pumpkin and winter squash. Some are sweet and some are savory. The sweet ones all work with canned pumpkin and the savory ones are better with Winter squash varieties.

Favorite Savory Recipes

Favorite Sweet Recipes Using Pumpkin or Squash

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Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Three pumpkin cheesecake bars with cream cheese frosting
Recipe for pumpkin-spiced, cake-like bars with a silky cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Fall treats and good for shipping in care packages.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 323

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake Part of Bars

  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 15 ounces can 100% pumpkin (Libbys is one good brand)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter at oom temperature
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour (or spray with cooking oil spray) a 10 x 15-inch baking pan. If you use a more common 9 x 13-inch pan, you will have to cook it longer or the middle will not get done. Alternatively you could only pour in 3/4 of the batter into the 9 x 13 and use a muffin tin or small baking pan for the rest.
  • In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together the sugar, the oil and the pumpkin until creamy (about 1 min). Beat in eggs until well combined – about 2 minutes.
    1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 cup oil, 15 ounces can 100% pumpkin, 4 eggs
  • In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all of the spices. Add these dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.
    2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until evenly golden and a toothpick or knife inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool completely (about 1 1/2 hour) before frosting.
  • Using a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, a little at a time, until mixture is smooth. Be sure and add powdered sugar slowly or it will fly out and make a big mess. Spread frosting over completely cooled bars.
    6 ounces cream cheese, 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar
  • Chill before cutting into bars. Makes 2-3 dozen bars (depending on how large you cut them).

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 109mgFiber: 1gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 2980IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
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  1. Betty says:

    5 stars
    My favorite pumpkin bars ever. Super easy to follow recipe.

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