Easy Pumpkin Bars Brown Sugar Frosting
These easy Pumpkin Bars are so thick, moist and delicous! The cream cheese frosting is made with brown sugar to give it an extra kick of flavor. It’s sooo good!
I love fall for all of the pumpkin treats, and I am always looking for an easy recipe with pumpkin to try out, and this one fits the bill! This recipe is super easy to toss together and frost, and even easier to eat!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + cooling time
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Units
Scale
This makes a small 9x9 batch, but it can easily be doubled to fill a 9x13 pan.
Bars
- 1-1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cups (114 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg (55 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (212 grams) pumpkin puree
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups (150 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, being sure to hang the edges over the top of the pan so you can easily lift it out of the pan after it is baked and cooled.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree until it is smooth and creamy.
- Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine using a rubber spatula until well combined and smooth. The mixture will be very thick.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, toss the softened butter and brown sugar into the mixing bowl and mix until it is completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the cinnamon, salt and sifted powdered sugar. Use the spatula to combine just a bit before you turn on the mixer to avoid a powdered sugar bomb in your kitchen.
- Once your mixture is thoroughly combined, add vanilla extract and milk. I suggest starting with a tablespoon of milk and adding more if you want to be smoother. I added about 1-1/2 teaspoon and I think that was too much. The frosting was a bit droopy and after it was assembled, I wished it were thicker.
- Once the cake is completely cooled you can spread the frosting to the top of the bars.
- Cut into 9 bars and enjoy!
