Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars are moist pumpkin bars with swirls of cream cheese frosting throughout. This dessert will be on your fall treat recipe list every year.
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BARS
If you follow me on Instagram you know that we had our annual Halloween Bunko and of course I needed a costume for the night. I wasn’t very committed to going all out on a costume this year.
Sometimes I’m in the mood to get dressed up and sometimes I’m happy to put on some black ears and call myself a cat. This was a cat kind of year.
I strolled into Party City with two kids trying to get in and out as fast as I could. I glanced at all of the costumes on the wall and saw that most of them barely covered more than my swimsuit would.
The worker by the costumes asked if she could help me so I asked her if they had any costumes that actually covered your body. She thought for a couple of seconds and said, “Um…yeah, we have two. The pirate and the devil. Oh wait, and the nun.”
“Give me the devil,” I said. (I already own the pirate and the nun)
So I was a $12 devil for Halloween Bunko. Not exactly creative, but covered all my naughty parts.
Even though I’ve had a lot of pumpkin recipe fails this year, I haven’t given up on pumpkin recipes yet. This recipe is a sister recipe to the Pumpkin Cake that is also on this blog.
It tastes like a pumpkin bread generously swirled with a sweet cream cheese mixture. I had this in the oven in under ten minutes.
It’s one of those traditional recipes that you’ll want to make every year.You can add nuts if you like. It definitely adds a nice crunch if nuts are your thing.
OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 (8 ounce package) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 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 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (see Note for substitution)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- optional 1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Spray a 9x13" baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- For the filling: With a hand mixer blend together softened cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- For the batter: Combine the pumpkin, sugar, egg and oil in medium mixing bowl and 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 w/ 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 an cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.
LOVE THESE!! So simple and SO GOOD. I am such a pumpkin snob and rarely try new pumpkin recipes, but these turned out perfectly. I subbed in gluten free flour and coconut sugar–worked like a charm. These bars are kind of a combo between two of my favorite pumpkin desserts–pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake. The seasoning and sweetness is on point–not too much of anything, everything balanced. These are a real hit. Will be saving the recipe to make many more times in the future!!!
So happy to hear that!
Can you use self rising flour and not put in the baking soda or powder?
Sure!
Great recipe!! Love the Fall flavors!! In Vermont we’re already starting to feel Fall!! We really enjoyed these bars.
Thank you! Happy to hear that!
Perfect! I normally use less sugar than whatever a recipe calls for, but I made this exactly as the recipe was written, and it’s not too sweet at all. It’s delicious! My husband, who told me he doesn’t like pumpkin, is already on his second piece. Thank you!
You are welcome!
I wonder if I could freeze pumpkin cream cheese bars?
Yes, you can!
Can I use either a pyrex baking pan or a metal one? If so, do I need to adjust the baking time or temp?
Yes, use either! Not sure. It depends on the pan.
How far in advance can you make these bars? a day, two days? I don’t want them to get dried out.Â
I swapped out ingredients to make it keto. It tastes AMAZING!!!Â
I would love to know your substitutions. My husband is keto!
How long can these bars sit at room temperature? I’d like to bring them to a party but am worried about this.
Thanks in advance.
They’re fine at room temperature. I can’t say how long but I’ve left them out for a while.
sounds yummy and pleasing for all.
Thank you!
I made these for a work party using Truvia baking blend instead of regular sugar, and they were a HUGE hit. Thanks so much!
Awesome!
Great recipe, Christy! I made the recipe exactly as written & they turned out perfect and a HUGE hit with my Mah Jongg ladies. Not overly sweet, perfect ending to a nice meal. All agreed that they would be very well received for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You are welcome!!
What should the consistency be? I expected a cakey pumpkin bar but it’s more like pumpkin pie, sort of soft and gooey. It was in 15 minutes longer than the recipe calls for and my toothpick came out clean.Â
It’s more like a pumpkin bar.
G
I like them, mpint and rich. BUT, they came out super salty.
I followed the instructions except I used Stevia instead of sugar, and reduced fat cream cheese. I used slivered almonds on top. Where do you think the too salty flavor occurred? The nuts? Not enough sweet due to stevia? I am trying to lower our calories.
Yeah I assume not enough sugar.
How much pumpkin, size can?
A 15 ounce can has almost 2 cups of pumpkin in it. I don’t think they come any smaller.
Pumpkin cream cheese bars have no Graham cracker crust listed in recipe, but on picture it has a crust
That’s not a crust. It’s the batter
Those look wonderful I can’t wait to make them!!
Please make it so you can add recipe to Pinrest. Thanks.
Wow, these bars turned out wonderfully. I better be careful before I eat the whole pan myself!
Thanks we love them!
Amazing
Thank you!
Does anyone know what size pumpkin puree can used in this recipe?
It says 1 cup canned puree which is 8 ounces. Most pumpkin cans are 15 ounces.
Can I substitute canned pumpkin in place of pumpkin puree?
Yes, it’s the same thing so it’ll work.
I would love to try this wonderful recipe…but to use only 1 cup of the canned pumpkin…what am I suppose to do with the 7 oz left over. Can I double this recipe and use the whole can?
Sure you definitely can. I have a whole list of recipes you can use the pumpkin on:
https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/category/pumpkin/
Moist and delicious, these bars are a huge hit. Making them again today 😃
Ooh thanks!
Pumpkin cream cheese bars
Very disappointing.
Sorry you feel that way.
It looks like there is a crumbly crust on the bottom but I don’t see that anywhere in the directions.
It’s just the bars, no crust here.
Made these today. Thank you for the recipe. They came out great. I used an 8×8 pan (so my husband doesn’t make a fuss about me baking a big pan of dessert, AGAIN) and so they were taller but still delicious. Will definitely make again.
Ooh yum!
The cream cheese mixture is super runny. Is that the way it supposed to be? I feel like I need to redo the filling portion. I feel like a dollop means a thick Dollop, not runny watery it’s going to be all over the place. Did I do this wrong?
I had the same thing happen. Runny cream cheese portion, I would say don’t soften/warm up the cream cheese so much before next time. I tried to thicken mine up in the freezer but didn’t feel like waiting and just used it :/
The cream cheese mixture should not be runny. Sounds like something went wrong.
Mine was runny too and i just ended up useing it cause i was confused on how to do a dollop with it.
Good morning! I have everything to make these except that I have just canned pumpkin. Does it have to be purée? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Never mind! I was thinking of pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin and purée are one and the same! Ooops… I’m going to try doubling this recipe and still use a 9×13 pan. It should be nice and thick! I’ll just have to adjust the baking time. Thanks again!
Haha. Glad you got it sorted out. Sounds delicious!
My cream cheese mixture was lumpy… Hoping they turn out, they are in the oven now.. But any thoughts as to why? Over beating? Cream cheese maybe not soft enough?
You can have cream cheese lumps if it’s not soft enough. It should be fine after baking!
Thanks for the recipe! What size can of pumpkin? 29 oz
The recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin which is about half of a 15 ounce can.