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Pumpkin Bars With Brown Sugar Frosting

Pumpkin bars with brown sugar frosting that bake into a tender, spiced crumb and get a glossy caramel-brown swirl. The frosting cooks briefly on the stove, rests, then becomes spreadable and fluffy for a firm set as it cools.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the bars
  • 2 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1.6667 cup sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 15 oz pumpkin
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For brown sugar frosting
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.3333 cup heavy cream
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.0625 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin bars
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease a 15x10 pan to prevent sticking.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined and lump-free.
  3. Beat eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
  4. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until the batter is uniform, then spread it evenly in the prepared pan.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until set in the center, then cool completely before frosting.
Make and spread brown sugar frosting
  1. Melt unsalted butter and brown sugar over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes for a caramel-brown base.
  2. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil, then cook until bubbling and cool for 15 minutes, until warm not hot.
  3. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and fluffy with a lighter texture.
  4. Spread frosting immediately over the cooled bars, then let it firm as it cools for clean slices.

Notes

For the neatest bars, cool the pan all the way before frosting so the frosting sets firmly. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze frosted bars up to 1 month for best texture. For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat cream cheese frosting style isn’t directly equivalent here, but you can substitute half the butter with light butter in the frosting (texture may be slightly softer).