About This Recipe
Fun fact about these pumpkin bars… they were one of my first bakes ever! In fact, I would argue that I fell in love with baking while making these one year when I was in college. They turned out so delicious, they were easy to make, and everyone loved them. That’s when my love for baking… the seed, if you will—was really planted. I thought, “If I can make these, I certainly can make other things.”
Perhaps that was a little lofty to think back then, because I’ve had to practice, study, and research baking plenty since then in an effort to make delicious baked goods. But hey, that doesn’t take away from the fact that these bars are crazy good and stinkin’ easy to make. They come together in one bowl, bake up in about 25 minutes, and are ready to serve after about an hour of cooling.
I had been following Paula Deen’s recipe for years, and over time I’ve played around with adding different spices, a combination of butter and oil, and both brown and granulated sugar. Most importantly, though, I stumbled into the world of brown butter and started adding it to the cream cheese frosting. INCREDIBLE IDEA! The brown butter addition really elevates these already delicious bars into an elite dessert that you could serve at pretty much any party or gathering.
In all honesty, though, I also just really enjoy baking up a batch of these on a Sunday and eating them throughout the week with my coffee or a glass of milk after dinner while I’m curled up on the couch. They are the perfect little treat during spooky season and I hope you enjoy!
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- Don’t skip browning the butter! It adds deep, nutty flavor that elevates the frosting from good to unforgettable.
- Cool the bars completely before frosting, or the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off.
- Use room temperature ingredients — especially eggs and cream cheese — for a smoother batter and frosting.
- If not using a scale, do not pack your flour. If you pack the flour, that can result in too much needed for the recipe and the bars can turn our dry and dense. Gently spoon and scoop the flour into your measuring cup and level with a butter knife.
More Recipes!
Here are some more bar recipes you might enjoy!
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatmaudes !! Thank you so much for stopping by and making yumminess with me!
Pumpkin Bars with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
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Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 (125 g) tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) neutral oil (ive used canola, vegetable and extra virgin olive oil- all work great)
- 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) pumpkin purée
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda
- 1 1/2 (4 g) tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz (340 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup, 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk olive oil and butter until well combined. Note: You can use a handheld mixer (or if butter is soft enough you can use a hand whisk).
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the oil mixture. Whisk until smooth and you will notice a thicker mixture.
- Add the eggs, whisk well. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the canned pumpkin purée and the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger) and mix until smooth and fully combined. Gradually add the baking powder/soda, salt and flour. Mix gently until everything is just barely combined. Don’t over mix. A few lumps are ok! (Note: you can also sift in your dry ingredients- that can help reduce the amount of lumps in the batter)
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13 pan and spread evenly. Bake for 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Please note, ovens do vary- so start checking the bars at about 25 minutes. Let the cake cool (about 1 hour) while you work on your frosting.
- For the frosting, place butter in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook until butter foams and starts to emit a warm, nutty fragrance (this could take several minutes). Once butter is browned, immediately remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Let the butter cool completely. This will take about 1 hour.
- Once the butter has cooled, using a stand or handheld mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fully combined. Note: the consistency will be runny at first, but just keep beating and the mixture will eventually become fluffy and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Note: If you like your frosting less sweet, start with one cup of powdered sugar, then gradually add more and taste as you go. Mix everything until you reach desired consistency. Adjust powdered sugar to your sweetness preference.
- When ready to frost, gently turn the cake onto a board lined with fresh parchment paper and peel the baked parchment paper away from the cake. Evenly top with frosting, slice and enjoy immediately!