Swirled Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars

Submitted by dicentra

"From Sunset Magazine. Most pumpkin bars are topped with a cream cheese frosting. These swirl it right into the bar! ETA: I'm still on the hunt for a pumpkin pie like bar. These are more cake like, but very yummy!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 24 bars

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 3⁄4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

directions

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended.
3. Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan.
4. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.
5. Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter.
6. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.
7. Bake in a 350° oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes.
8. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.

Reviews

[djafishfria]

I really like this recipe. I wanted to use up some pumpkin, and make bars that I could wrap for selling at a food stand. These worked great, as the cream cheese added to the appearance and a good flavor, but it was well baked in so I didn't have to worry about the bars getting runny. Good flavor, and pretty easy to make. I made in a 9 by 13- no prob

 

[cookn4mytwins]

These were very good. We love pumpkin and we love cream cheese and the two of them together are great! I did substitute butternut squash for the pumpkin which wouldn't affect the flavor at all. I'll make these again. Thanks!