Hot take: I do feel the first week of September is a little early for Starbucks to debut their fall menu (pumpkin spice latte), but I understand they are a business and it really does generate plenty of revenue for the die hard pumpkin fans. It’s hard for me to call the first week of September fall, because I’m still in the denial phase that summer is mostly over. However, the last week of September, my arms are open to welcome the coming rain and cooler temps. I will accept pumpkin and make them into pumpkin bars.
These pumpkin bars are pretty quick to mix together and it’s so fun to swirl the cream cheese topping. The tart cream cheese balances the sweet, spiced pumpkin and the walnuts add a good textural change.
Ingredients
Pumpkin puree – I like to make my own Homemade Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin, but you can always use canned.
Cream cheese – If you don’t like cheesecake/cream cheese, you can eliminate the swirl altogether. The pumpkin bars can be eaten alone or you can make a simple powdered sugar/milk icing to top them if you do want a little bit of a decorative touch.
Walnuts – I prefer toasted walnuts in my desserts but this would also be lovely with toasted pecans or hazelnuts. If you prefer no nuts, do that too!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- quarter baking sheet with lip OR 13×9 baking dish
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Cheesecake Swirl
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Bar
- Combine pumpkin puree, oil, and eggs. Mix well until combined.
- Mix in white and brown sugars, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add in flour and baking soda and mix until streaky.
- Add in toasted walnuts and finish mixing.
Cheesecake Swirl
- Mix together softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt until blended smooth. Make sure there are no lumps.
Assembly
- Pour the pumpkin bar mixture into baking sheet/dish and ensure it is leveled.
- Drizzle cheesecake swirl over the pumpkin bar into lines.
- Using a spatula/spoon/chopstick/utensil of choice, cut lines through the cheesecake and pumpkin batters to "swirl" the two together. Don't go overboard otherwise it will turn into a mixture.
- Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until bars have puffed up, cheesecake has set, and toothpick comes out clean.
Some other pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread, Pumpkin Panang Curry with Spinach and Paneer