Ingredients
Scale
Wet:
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup neutral oil (e.g., vegetable or light olive)
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Optional mix-ins:
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped pecans/walnuts
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8 oz/226 g) block cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼–2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Pinch fine salt
- Optional: 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream for texture
Instructions
- Prep: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch metal pan with parchment, leaving overhang.
- Wet mixture: In a large bowl whisk pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Dry mixture: In a separate bowl whisk flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine: Add dry to wet; fold gently just until no flour streaks remain. Fold in chips or nuts if using.
- Bake: Spread batter in pan. Bake 25–30 minutes, until the top looks matte, edges slightly pull away, and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
- Cool: Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
- Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, 1–2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Gradually add sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and spreadable; add a splash of milk/cream if needed.
- Finish: Spread frosting over cooled bars. Lightly dust with cinnamon or add chopped nuts. Slice into 24 squares.
Notes
- Avoid gummy texture: Use a metal pan, don’t overmix, and bake until the center springs back.
- Spice swap: Replace nutmeg/ginger with 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (total 3 teaspoons cinnamon + spice).
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 GF baking flour with xanthan; rest batter 10 minutes before baking; add 2–3 minutes to bake time as needed.
- Vegan: Replace eggs with ½ cup applesauce (or 4 tbsp aquafaba whipped to foamy). Use vegan butter and vegan cream cheese for frosting.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25–30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24 bars
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg