• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Recipe Reviews

Recipe Reviews, Recommendations, Tips and Musings. Thanks for visiting!

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Bars
    • Beef
    • Breads/Muffins
    • Breakfast
    • Cakes
    • Candy
    • Casseroles
    • Chicken/Poultry
    • Cookies
    • Cooking for Two
    • Fruit
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Ice Cream/Sorbets
    • Lighter Recipes
    • Pasta
    • Pies/Pastry/Puddings
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Snacks
    • Soups, Stews, and Salads
    • Throw and Go! (Crockpot Recipes)
    • Vegetables/Side Dishes
  • Recipes Without Pictures
  • What’s Hot/What’s Not
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy/Contact

pumpkin

Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

December 15, 2015 by sblades 2 Comments

I’ve been looking for the recipe for these Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing for a long time.  I just love the combination of the moist pumpkin bar with the tangy lemon icing. I’ve seen it with raisins and sometimes nuts, but prefer it this way.

This recipe came from the Penzey’s catalog that used to come in the mail about once a month.  In addition to all of the wonderful spices and seasonings for sale, they always had really good recipes from everyday people around the country. 

Unfortunately the catalog doesn’t come anymore, but luckily I’ve saved a bunch of good recipes from it!

Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

I’ve adapted this recipe a bit (more lemon, please!) until it’s what I think is just perfect.

If you’re looking for an excellent dessert or snack for the holidays, try these Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing. They’re great for the season, although we enjoy them all year long.

I always seem to have a leftover can of pumpkin from the holidays in the cabinet and now I have a go-to recipe to use it in. Delicious little bars.

Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Pumpkin Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Yield: 30 to 32 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Great pumpkin bars with a luscious lemon frosting.

Ingredients

  • 2 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 C pumpkin puree
  • 2 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Icing:
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tbsp butter, , softened
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp lemon extract
  • 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 - 3 tbsp cream or milk
  • 3/4 C butter, melted (this butter goes in the bars, not the icing)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until creamy.  Add the pumpkin and 3/4 C melted butter and mix well.  
  3. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and blend well.
  4. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan (or a 9x13" pan for a more cake-like bar). Bake for 30 minutes (bake longer if using a 9x13" pan).  Let it cool completely before icing.
  5. To make the icing, beat together the cream cheese, 6 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, lemon extract and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat, adding milk or cream to achieve your desired consistency (it will be rather thick).  Spread over the cake.  Zest some more lemon rind over the top to make it pretty.  
  6. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I use Neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 less fat) and it comes out great. I also mix about half a teaspoon of lemon zest into the icing because I like that lemon flavor....a lot.

For the pans I divided the batter between a 13x9" pan and an 8x8" pan because I wanted thinner bars and don't have a jelly roll pan.  30 minutes baking was perfect.  I used parchment paper in the 8x8" pan and it was easy to lift out of the pan and cut into bars.  

My recipe card won't let me move the 3/4 cup of butter up to the bars part - sorry!

I could eat that icing all day long.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 172Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Penzey's
Category: Bars

Filed Under: All Recipes, Bars, Holiday Recipes Tagged With: holiday dessert, lemon cream cheese icing, pumpkin, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bars with lemon icing

Primary Sidebar

Follow Me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon

Welcome!  I’m Susan and I love finding wonderful new recipes.  I hope you’ll find a few new ones here that you and your family will love. Browse around and stay a while!Save

Save

Can’t Find What You’re Looking for?

Most Popular Posts

  • Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies
  • Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake (The Cake Slice Bakers)
  • Creamy Great Northern Beans with Ham
  • Light Chicken Parmesan Crock-Pot Chicken Parmesan (A Lighter Version of the Classic)
  • Hamburger Cauliflower Soup Hearty Hamburger Cauliflower Soup
Get new recipes by email:
Powered by follow.it
my foodgawker gallery
Copyright © 2022 · Design by Deluxe Designs