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Moist pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Bars with Buttery Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, cakey, and delicious, these pumpkin bars with a thick buttery cream cheese frosting are perfection. They're so easy to make with no mixer required!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
YIELD 24 bars

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bars

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) light (or dark) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (113 g / 1 stick) salted butter, melted
  • 15 oz (425g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh, I use canned)
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt or sour cream
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Buttery Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz (113g) full-fat cream cheese block, softened
  • ½ cup (113g / 1 stick) salted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ c (150g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (15g) dried milk powder

Instructions

Make the bars

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a 9x13 inch pan by lining it with parchment paper.

  2. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. Add melted butter slightly cooled and whisk until combined. Add pumpkin puree and yogurt or sour cream and whisk until combined. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently just until combined.

  4. Pour batter into parchment-lined pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack. Frost when completely cooled.

Make the frosting

  1. Using a silicone spatula, combine softened cream cheese and softened butter together in a medium bowl until well blended and smooth. Stir in vanilla extract.

  2. Slowly sift in powdered sugar and milk powder, stirring frequently to combine. Stir until smooth and clump-free.

  3. Spread generously over bars using a metal spatula to create an even surface. Refrigerate bars immediately and the frosting will set as it cools.

Recipe Notes

Keep the bars in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve them at room temperature so they're soft and moist.