Description
Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Bars is made with eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla extract. This easy Pumpkin Bars recipe creates a delicious dessert that takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 16 people.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- (15 oz) can pumpkin
- 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- (8 oz) package softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup softened (or margarine) butter
- 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing at low speed until thoroughly combined and smooth.
5. Spread the batter into a greased 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
7. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix at low speed until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and mix well.
8. Spread the frosting over the cooled pumpkin bars. Cut into squares to serve.
Notes
Use Room-Temperature Ingredients: Let eggs, cream cheese, and butter come to room temperature first. This makes everything blend smoothly for a creamy result.
Sift the Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, and powdered sugar to keep the bars light and the frosting smooth.
Don’t Overmix the Batter: Mix the batter just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined. Mixing too much can make the bars dense.
Cool the Bars Before Frosting: Make sure the bars are fully cooled before you frost them, or the frosting will melt and turn messy.
Chill for Clean Slices: After frosting, chill the bars for 10–15 minutes. This will help the frosting set and make it easier to cut neat slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg