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Pumpkin Bars With Brown Sugar Frosting

Pumpkin bars with brown sugar frosting are an American dessert baked until set, then topped with a caramel-brown, swirlable frosting. The bars bake in a greased 15x10 pan for easy 24-bar slicing.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
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
  • 1 can (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
  • 1 salt pinch

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin bars
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 15x10 pan, so the bars release cleanly after baking.
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl until evenly combined.
  3. Beat the wet ingredients until smooth, with no visible streaks of pumpkin.
  4. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until no dry flour remains.
  5. Spread the batter in the greased 15x10 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center looks set and a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
  6. Cool the bars completely before frosting, so the topping doesn’t melt.
Make the brown sugar frosting and finish
  1. Melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat, then cook for 2 minutes until glossy.
  2. Add the cream and bring back to a boil, then cool for 15 minutes.
  3. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and fluffy, with a spreadable texture.
  4. Spread the frosting immediately over the cooled bars; it firms as it cools for clean slices and swirls.

Notes

For the smoothest frosting, cool the brown-sugar mixture exactly 15 minutes before beating—warm mixture can turn grainy. Store bars covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze frosted bars up to 2 months (wrap tightly). For a lighter option, use low-fat cream and reduce powdered sugar slightly to keep the frosting thick enough to spread.