Cooking and Baking Extravaganza, and Pumpkin Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting!

The batter comes together quickly and while the bars are baking, your house will smell ahhh-mazing!!

Pour batter into a greased 13×9 baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool completely!

Whip up your frosting, I used my stand mixer, but a hand mixer would work just as well 🙂

Don’t cut into bars until you’re ready to serve, that way they stay moist and delicious!  Now, my apologies for the sub-par pictures of the bars… I was too caught up in eating them lol.

PUMPKIN BARS WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

FOR THE FROSTING

• 12oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup butter (I used 6 Tbsp salted, 6 Tbsp unsalted)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 – 5 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & soda) and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients, gradually, and mix well.
3. Spread batter in a greased 13×9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. Cool completely.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.
6. Add cinnamon, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium and whip until pale and fluffy.
7. Spread evenly onto cooled pumpkin bars and store, covered, in refrigerator until serving.

Recipe adapted from Bake it and Love it