Pumpkin Bars

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Soft, moist pumpkin bars with maple syrup cream cheese frosting.

If someone were to ask me what the recipe that describes fall is, this would be one of my answers. Soft pumpkin bars with walnuts, topped with creamy cream cheese frosting and cinnamon. It can’t get more perfect than this.

I always wanted to make desserts with pumpkin purée, even since I was little and watched American recipes that all used pumpkin purée that we were not able to buy in Europe. A few years back, I learned how to make pumpkin purée from scratch, and since then I have made tons of desserts with it. It’s really easy to make and just takes about 20 minutes more than you would normally need with a store-bought purée. Anyway, I really have to try making pumpkin pie this year.

Back to the recipe: these pumpkin bars with maple syrup cream cheese frosting are delicious, soft, and full of pumpkin flavour, perfect for the whole winter. Let me know in the comments how you liked the recipe.

Prep Time

Prep Time:

15 Minutes

Bake Time:

30 Minutes

Total Time:

45 Minutes

Equipment

Scale
Blander
Baking tray (around 20 x 20 cm)

Nutritional values

Nutrition Label of the Recipe. Value: 74883 calories

Shopping List

Pumpkin: 300.0 g
Egg: 2.0
Oil
Vanilla extract
Brown sugar: 50.0 g
Salt
Pumpkin púree: 220.0 g
Baking powder: 10.0 g
Maple syrup: 50.0 ml
Flour: 150.0 g
Walnuts: 50.0 g
Cinnamon
Cream cheese: 200.0 g
Whipped cream: 50.0 ml
Powdered sugar: 60.0 g

Ingredients and Instructions

Ingredients

Scale

Pumpkin Purée

Pumpkin: 300 g

Pumpkin Bars

Egg: 2
Oil: 50 ml
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Brown sugar: 50 g
Salt: 0.5 tsp
Pumpkin púree: 220 g
Baking powder: 10 g
Maple syrup: 30 ml
Flour: 150 g
Walnuts: 50 g
Cinnamon: 1 tsp

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese: 200 g
Maple syrup: 20 ml
Whipped cream: 50 ml
Powdered sugar: 60 g
Salt: 0.3 tsp
Cinnamon: 0.5 tsp

Instructions

Pumpkin Purée

Pumpkin: 300 g

Wash and clean the pumpkin, then cut it into small pieces.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and bake the pumpkin in a preheated oven at 200 °C (392°F) for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin starts to soften. Be careful not to overbake.
When the pumpkin is done, wait for it to cool a bit, then blend it into a smooth purée-like texture. Use a blender or a food processor.
The pumpkin will change its volume, which is why we bake around 300 grams of pumpkin and then use around 200 grams in the batter. You can also use store-bought pumpkin purée if you have it. I never saw it in Europe. Let me know in the comments if I can buy it somewhere.

Pumpkin Bars

Egg: 2

Oil: 50 ml

Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Brown sugar: 50 g

Salt: 0.5 tsp

Pumpkin púree: 220 g

Baking powder: 10 g

Maple syrup: 30 ml

Flour: 150 g

Walnuts: 50 g

Cinnamon: 1 tsp

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, oil, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pumpkin purée.
To the wet ingredients, add the flour, ground walnuts, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix to combine.
Line a small baking tray (around 20 \times 20\text{ cm} or similar) with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 25 - 30 minutes.
Wait for the cake to cool before decorating.

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese: 200 g

Maple syrup: 20 ml

Whipped cream: 50 ml

Powdered sugar: 60 g

Salt: 0.3 tsp

Cinnamon: 0.5 tsp

With a stand mixer, whip the whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
In a large bowl, mix and combine cream cheese, whipped cream, maple syrup, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. You can add more or less sugar based on your taste.
Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the pumpkin cake. You can decorate the frosting with salted caramel, salted caramel sprinkles, or cinnamon.
Cut the cake into equal-sized small bars.

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