Perfect Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

These Perfect Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are an ideal fall dessert that you can make and enjoy all year long. I’ve been making these popular pumpkin bars for so many years and they are THE most requested pumpkin treat all my friends and family ask for year after year. These delicious pumpkin bars are fall poured into a pan, baked warm and snuggly, and covered in the best, most comforting blanket of cream cheese frosting.

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These perfect pumpkin bars will have you enjoying a little bit of fall all year round! Let’s make them!

Perfect Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

We love this baked fall dessert because it’s so easy to put together. You absolutely can make this easy batter in one bowl and use a hand mixer instead of an electric stand mixer. Or, skip the mixer all together and make the pumpkin batter by hand with a strong wooden spoon. The cream cheese frosting is a bit trickier, however, and I do recommend using a hand mixer, at the least.

Ensure all your ingredients are at room temperature for easy incorporating. Let your butter and eggs sit out at room temp for at least an hour before preparing the pumpkin bar batter.

It’s also best to take out the ingredients for the cream cheese frosting when you start making the batter. They should be at room temp, too.

I have made these pumpkin bars in different sized pans throughout the years. The size of the pan determines how cake-like your perfect pumpkin bars will be. We like a dense pumpkin bar so I use a smaller jelly roll pan. The recommended pan size will make your pumpkin bars light, airy, and delicious!

I have a confession: I DOUBLE the cream cheese frosting recipe. I know. People normally gasp about it, but you guys: for me, the FROSTING is the best part of these perfect pumpkin bars. I used to joke that these were KILLER pumpkin bars because there’s so much butter. But, really. It is a killer pumpkin bar recipe because when you put it all together, the bars and the pumpkin, they make you want to melt away.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Sugar
• Flour
• Butter
• Eggs
• Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla
• Splash of milk

I’ve compiled all these down below in a printable recipe card for your convenience!

Kitchen Tools & Equipment You’ll Need:

A stand mixer makes quick work of combing ingredients. You can use a hand mixer and a large bowl, too.

A sifter for light and airy dry ingredients.

I love these for getting every single drop of batter out of the bowl and into the baking pan.

Pan size is up to you. Use this for perfectly light and airy bars.

For faster cooling, these are ideal.

An offset spatula is perfect for frosting.

How to Make the Pumpkin Bars from Scratch

1. Sift dry ingredients together, set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time.
4. Add pumpkin and mix well.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
6. Pour batter into lightly greased pan.
7. Bake at 35o degrees until cake springs back when touched and toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool completely before icing.

Can Perfect Pumpkin Bars be Frozen?

Yes! These freeze nicely. I like to wrap in plastic wrap and store them in my grandmother’s old Tupperware brownie keeper.

They also do well in the refrigerator, wrapped well. These pumpkin bars are so deliciously comforting right out of the oven, but THEY ARE GOOD COLD too!

Get the Printable Recipe

I hope you’ll love these perfect pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting as much as I do. Don’t forget to PIN this recipe and share with your friends on Facebook!

Perfect Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Print

Fall inspired perfect pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 15 oz canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon each: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the Icing:
• 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• splash of milk, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 15 X 10 1/2 X 1 pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda. salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
5. Add pumpkin and mix well.
6. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread batter evenly.
8. Bake fro 20-25 minutes until cake springs back when touched or a toothpic comes out clean.
9. Cool completely before icing.
10. For the Icing:
11. 1. Beat butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla.
12. 2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time with mixer on low. Increase speed as needed and continue adding powered sugar.

Notes

Pumpkin bars may be made in a smaller pan for thicker, cake like bars.

These Perfect Pumpkin Bars freeze nicely.

I double the recipe for a nice thick blanket of cream cheese frosting!