Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting

Oh my gosh, these pumpkin bars are good!  Add the cream cheese frosting and then they become dangerously good. Like, have to have more than one piece good.  I'm not a big icing person but this icing is amazing.  Words can't describe.  This makes a big batch. A different way to describe them would be a pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Did I tell you these pumpkin bars are so moist!

 

To make these, everything was in my fridge and pantry except an 8 oz bar of cream cheese.  I LOVE recipes that are simple and don't have complicated ingredients.

But geez, they can be dangerous. My friend Lisa came over to share her recipe with me and we were reminiscing how we almost got injured discussing Paul's Pumpkin Bars.  Let me tell you, it's not a good idea to be totally involved in a discussion, and be oblivious to your surroundings, when the army recruiting guy is throwing balled-up t-shirts into the stands at the local high school football game.   His aim with the t-shirt firing contraption was good!  The t-shirt grazed my hand, my cell phone went flying and thankfully Lisa caught the t-shirt before it hit her. Lesson learned.  If you are not paying attention in the football stands, you are a target. So, if you really want what they are throwing into th>e stands, intently discuss a recipe!

A moist, delicious, so 'pumpkiny' flavored recipe.   With cream cheese icing.....

Ingredients for Pumpkin bars and cream cheese Icing

Bars
4 Eggs
15 oz can of Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 ⅔ cup Sugar
1 cup Vegetable oil
2 cups Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
½ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup butter
4 cups Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar for my Canadian friends)
1 tsp. Vanilla

Directions for Pumpkin bars and cream cheese Icing

 
Preheat over to 350 Fahrenheit
Let butter and cream cheese sit out to warm to room temperature (cut into small pieces and it will warm up faster) You want to do this so that it mixes better and you don’t have butter or cream cheese lumps.
Combine all Pumpkin Bar ingredients in one bowl. I recommend using a mixer. It’s easy to do with your stand mixer but I’ve done this easily with my hand mixer. Mix until well combined.
Spread batter on a greased 17 x 11 inch(ish) cake roll pan.
Bake at 350 for approx. 25 minutes. Check with a toothpick to test if done.
Set aside and let the bar base cool.

To make Cream Cheese Icing

Add all cream cheese icing ingredients into a bowl.
Beat until mixture is smooth.

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