Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Layer:

- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Prepare the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

2. Mix Dry Ingredients:
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. Combine Wet Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin puree, and melted butter. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl, and continue to mix until everything is well incorporated.

4. Integrate Dry and Wet Mixtures:
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.

5. Prepare Cream Cheese Layer:
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, honey, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Spoon dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter and use a knife to swirl the mixtures together gently.

6. Bake the Bars:
- Pour the combined batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Cooling and Serving:
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut into bars and serve.

Preparation & Cooking Times

- Preparation Time:
PT20M
20 minutes

- Cooking Time:
PT35M
35 minutes

Total Time

- PT55M
55 minutes

Type of Dish

- Dessert

Keywords

- Pumpkin dessert
- Cream cheese bars
- Fall flavors
- Spiced cake
- Easy baking recipe
- Holiday treat
- Seasonal sweets
- Oven-baked
- Pumpkin spice
- Swirled dessert

Recipe Yield

- Feeds 4 adults

Calories

- 2,040 total calories

#PumpkinDelight #SpicedBars #DessertLove #FallBaking #SweetTreats