Don’t you love a good pumpkin bar in the fall? The flavor and texture are amazing – and then when you top it off with brown butter cream cheese frosting – you have the perfect dessert for fall gatherings and Thanksgiving!
The flavors of fall make these so good – the pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and maple syrup! Just imagine how good your kitchen will smell as these bake!
Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk oil, eggs, sugars, maple syrup, pumpkin and vanilla together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
Spread into 10 x 15 baking pan (small jelly roll pan), that has been lightly sprayed. Bake 28-35 minutes. The bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When done, set the pan on a cooling rack and cool bars completely.
While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. First, brown 1/2 cup of the butter. Cut 1/2 cup butter into tablespoons and place in a medium skillet over medium heat. The butter will foam and pop, so be careful.
Swirl or stir the butter as it cooks. Remove the pan from heat once the butter starts to brown and smells nutty. There will be small brown bits on the bottom. The butter should be an amber color.
Pour the butter into a small bowl and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. You want it to solidify a little, but not freeze. It needs to be soft consistency so that it will mix into the frosting easily.
Whip the cooled brown butter, regular butter and cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Frost the bars with the brown butter cream cheese frosting – so good!
Just looks like fall! Enjoy this with your morning coffee or tea, as a snack or a special treat.
For the recipe and full directions, click on the link below. The Sally’s Baking Addiction blog has so many wonderful recipes and she includes very thorough instructions. I used the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below for my frosting. She also has a Cream Cheese Frosting, but her recipe uses pumpkin pie spice to spice it up. Either would be delicious!
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-bars/
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Brown 1/2 cup of the butter. Cut 1/2 cup of the butter into tablespoons. Place it in a medium skillet, preferably not non-stick, over medium heat. As the butter melts, occasionally swirl or stir the butter around the pan. Watch it carefully – the butter can go from brown to being burnt quickly.
- Keep swirling the butter over medium heat until it is light brown in color. The butter will foam and pop, so be careful. Once the butter starts to brown and smells nutty, immediately remove from the heat. There will be small brown bits on the bottom. Pour butter into a small bowl and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. You want it to solidify a little, but do not freeze solid.
- Use a mixer to beat together the cooled brown butter, regular butter and cream cheese. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat again.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add more powdered sugar, if necessary, to get the consistency you want.
- Use to frost pumpkin bars or other fall treats! Enjoy!
Notes
Enjoy!!! Happy Fall!
