Sunday, February 9, 2025

Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

  •   2 cups all purpose flour
  •  2 teaspoons baking powder
  •  1 teaspoon baking soda
  •  2 teaspoons cinnamon
  •  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  •  1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  •  1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1 cup packed brown sugar
  •  1 cup granulated white sugar
  •  4 eggs
  •  1 15- oz can Libbey’s pure pumpkin
  •  1 cup canola oil
  •  1 teaspoon vanilla

  1.  In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices,  and salt. Set aside.
  2. In large bowl, beat together the sugars, eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla for  about 60 seconds. 
  3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth.
  4. Pour into a greased 12” X 17” (half sheet pan), rimmed sheet pan. 
  5. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes. 
  6. Bars are done  when they’re just turning brown around the edges and pulling away from  the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out  clean. 
  7. Be careful not to overbake or the bars will be dry.
  8.  Cool completely before frosting

 the frosting

  •  6 tbsp butter, room temperature
  •  3 cups sifted powdered sugar
  •  8 ounce package regular cream cheese, room temperature
  •  1 teaspoon vanilla
  •  1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, (optional but adds a bit of flavor)

  1. Beat butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer  or stand mixer.
  2. Add the vanilla and pumpkin spice and about 1/3 of the sifted  confectioner's sugar. 
  3. Beat this until smooth. 
  4. Then add another third of the  sugar until smooth. 
  5. Finally, finish beating in the remaining sifted powdered  sugar. 
  6. Use a spatula to scrap down any powdered sugar from the side of  the bowl and incorporate it with the mixer.
  7. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the completely cooled bars. It is best  to refrigerate the sheet pan of bars for about an hour before cutting into  squares.
  8. Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated