Everyone needs a good go to pumpkin bar recipe. This is mine. Well, it’s actually my mom’s. She’s made them for years and as I was thumbing through a little recipe book she made me before I went off to college (years and years ago) I found her recipe for these bars. I usually just count on her making them every year around the holidays when we go home, but it was time for me to make them and put my own spin on them.
Move over cream cheese frosting and make room for pumpkin bars with brown sugar cinnamon buttercream.
The bars are perfectly light, soft and fluffy. And the brown sugar buttercream makes them just melt away in your mouth with each bite. We had dessert with friends a few nights ago and these vanished. Luckily, I had enough to photograph (and eat) a few squares the next day.
Note– they are even better 24 hours laters.
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin (15 oz can)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- For the frosting: (this is doubled to have a little extra frosting-can cut in half)
- 3 cups butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 - 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp half and half or milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 11 X 15 inch sheet cake pan and set aside (Can also use a 9X13 inch pan)
- Beat sugar, eggs and oil together. Beat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Alternate adding flour mixture and the canned pumpkin to the wet ingredients, adding small amounts until completely incorporated. Add vanilla.
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes for an 11X15 inch pan or about 45 minutes in a 9X13 inch pan. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Slowly add milk and powdered sugar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
Wondering if 3 cups butter is an error?? Seems like alot
I like to double the recipe to have extra frosting…just in case 🙂
I love anything pumpkin. I just started making my own puree. Makes such a difference.
Thank you for the recipe…
I’ve been craving pumpkin and I have a big bag of pumpkin from our garden pumpkins in the freezer, looks like I got to make these delicious bars!
Six sticks of butter does sound like a lot but it is a 10×15 sheet cake so maybe that is right. Certainly keeps the butter companies happy for us to buy a pound and half for one cake. HA Looks like an awesome recipe that will make a nice amount for sharing!
Definitely don’t need three cups of butter. I used 2 sticks and that was plenty.