Photo: The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog
Fall is my favorite for so many reasons! Pumpkins have to be at the top of the list. Baking with pumpkins brings so much joy, and there aren’t many things more festive during the fall than pumpkins. These pumpkin bars have been a party favorite and family dinner favorite for the past few years. This is an easy dish to prepare and doesn’t require a lot of skill. So roll your baker sleeves up, and let’s get ready for Thanksgiving!
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 30 min.
Total Time: 40 min.
Yield: 18 bars
Ingredients
Filling:
1 (8 oz. package) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Batter:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Optional: ½ cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- For the filling: In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer and blend together softened cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- For the batter: Combine the pumpkin, sugar, egg, and oil in a medium mixing bowl; mix until well combined.
- Stir in flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and spread to cover bottom of pan.
- Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the batter. Cut through the batter with a knife to make a marbled effect with the cream cheese mixture in an up-and-down pattern. Repeat going the other way. When marbling, make sure you don’t go all the way to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans if desired.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.
These pumpkin bars will not disappoint, and they are the perfect addition to your holiday table. Your home will absorb all the fall spices and warm scents that this pumpkin dessert provides. I hope you enjoy this festive addition to your holiday menu as much as my family and I do!