Pumpkin Bars

Nothing sparks the beginning of Fall quit like pumpkin flavored desserts. These pumpkin bars are the perfect dessert to start with. I absolutely love baking with pumpkin and warm spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves. If you are a pumpkin lover like I am, you'll love these moist and beautifully spiced pumpkin bars.

These pumpkin bars are seriously the best pumpkin bars I have ever had. The moist, rich flavor of pumpkin cake is just perfect. Paired with all of the warming spices typically used in fall desserts, this recipe is by far my favorite pumpkin recipe.

This year I was able to use fresh pumpkin puree from pumpkins I grew in this year's garden. I highly recommend using fresh pumpkin puree if you can. Canned pumpkin puree will work just fine if you cannot make fresh pumpkin pureed.

On top of how good these pumpkin bars are, they are also super easy to make. Seriously, the hardest part of this recipe is waiting for them to bake and cool so that you can eat them. There is no need for a mixer, the batter can be mixed with a whisk or spoon. Topped with the easiest streusel topping and baked up to make the most irresistible pumpkin bars ever.

I added a simple icing of powdered sugar and milk, with a few spices, to the top after the bars cooled. Mainly for aesthetics, but the icing does add a nice finishing touch to the already delicious bars.

How to Make Pumpkin Bars

What are you waiting for? Get the oven preheating, the bars really are as good as mentioned!

Make the streusel topping:

• Mix together all of the streusel ingredients. In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, flour, sugars and spices. Mix until well combined.
• Chill. Refrigerate until needed.

Make the pumpkin batter.

• Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and all of the spices until well combined.
• Mix together the butter and sugars. In a large bowl whisk together the butter and sugars until well combined.
• Whisk in the remaining wet ingredients. In the bowl with the butter and sugar mixture, whisk in the eggs until well combined. Then mix in the applesauce, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Mix well.
• Combine. Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients, just until well combined.
• Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spread out into an even layer. Top with the streusel topping and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

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Ice the bars.

• Decorate and slice. Drizzle on the icing (recipe in recipe card), slice and enjoy!

Variations

• Add chocolate chips. Mix in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cake batter. You can leave the streusel topping on or off. Either way it would be delicious.
• Add nuts. Pecans would be delicious in the batter or in the streusel topping. Be sure to toast them before adding them to the recipe for the best taste.
• Make a frosting. Instead of the streusel topping you can frost with a cream cheese frosting.