Oh guys. I cannot begin to tell you how delicious pumpkin bars are. Yes, they look delicious in the picture… but no photograph could ever really truly show you how delicious they are. It has become an annual fall tradition for about 4 years now. I know I’ve told you how much Michael and I love this season because of the food, crisp bite in the air, and warm layered clothing but pumpkin bars are truly the highlight of the season. They are basically a super moist and fluffy cake topped with a deliciously smooth cream cheese frosting. So bad meets so good!
In Tuesday’s “How To Make Pumpkin Puree” post, I mentioned that I picked up some gorgeously plump pumpkins at the grocery store. After quickly whipping up a large batch of purée it was easy to decide which pumpkin recipe I was going to make first. Pumpkin bars for the win! If I had made anything else my family would have felt betrayed. Seriously. When I came home with pumpkins on Saturday the kids all but did a dance. I kid you not. They knew that pumpkin bars would soon be hitting the oven and later covered with a smooth cream cheese frosting ready for devouring.
Because we love pumpkin bars so much we are always making sure to share with others. Last year we were able to enjoy pumpkin bars with Michael’s mom and brother who visited from Florida. Winnie was only a month old and Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. It was exciting for us to share one of our favorite fall treats with them. Of course they loved it and of course they didn’t last long.
This year I have decided to send a small batch of mini cupcake to my fans over at Michael’s work on Friday. You know who you are… you can thank me later. Oh and just so you know, there were twelve when Michael left the house, so if he shorted you guys well… give ’em hell!
Happy Eating!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (1 15-ounce can pumpkin)
- 1 cup cooking oil
- 4oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and oil until combined. Spread batter into an ungreased 15X10X1 inch baking pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 2 hours. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into bars.
- In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.
- For mini cupcakes prepare as above but cook time is 8 minutes.
