Perfect pumpkin bars with an irresistible salted caramel cream cheese frosting – there’s no better fall treat!
Note: this post has been updated on 9/8/16 with new photos.  These continue to be a fall favorite of ours and loved by everyone that tries them!  

Hmm…notice something a little different around here?  Things seem a little brighter, more cheery?  Yep, that’s right – greens & chocolate got a makeover!   I realize that I changed my design earlier this year when I made the big switch from blogger to WordPress but I just never had a great feeling about it.  It never really felt like home to me.  Now, however, I can say this feels absolutely perfect and I owe a HUGE thank you to Shay Bock.  She was such a delight to work with.  It was as if she could read into my mind, knowing exactly what I wanted my new design to look like.   I really hope you like it too, and find it’s a place you want to keep coming back to 🙂

To celebrate the new look, I made you your new favorite pumpkin bars with salted caramel cream cheese frosting.  I just know they will be!  The secret ingredient?  Salted caramel, duh.  Is there anything that’s NOT made better by salted caramel?  I think not.  So yeah, I took a super basic pumpkin bar recipe, made it a wee bit healthier by subbing some applesauce for half of then oil (you can’t tell, I promise!) and then slathered the entire pan with globs and globs of salted caramel cream cheese frosting.

Let’s just say a pan of these around my pumpkin-loving self is quite dangerous.  The frosting is just as delicious as you would think, with a deep caramel flavor with a salty bite to it.  The caramel flavor of the frosting goes perfectly with the cinnamon and nutmeg spiced pumpkin bars which bake up perfectly moist.

Also – yes, I realize this post is missing some pictures to go along with the bars.  I’m having some camera difficulties right now and am unable to post the pictures that I took, but I figured my new look needed an introduction and you needed a new recipe in your life so I posted anyways.  Hope you forgive me 😉  I also hope this situation is solved soon….

Looking for more pumpkin bar recipes? Check these out!

Pumpkin Rolo Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Salted Caramel Swirl

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Pumpkin Bars with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Perfect pumpkin bars with an irresistible salted caramel cream cheese frosting - there's no better fall treat!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bars, fall, pumpkin

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Cooling Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 38 minutes

Servings: 15 bars

Calories: 355kcal

Author: Taylor Ellingson

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt

for the cream cheese frosting:

• 1 8 oz brick cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

To make the pumpkin bars:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, and pumpkin puree.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing in low until just combined.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 28-32 minutes, until toothpick comes out of the middle clean.
• Let cool completely.

To make the frosting:

• In bowl with electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth.
• Add caramel and sea salt, mixing until combined.
• Spread frosting on top of cooled pumpkin bars.
• Cut into squares and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 524mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 4878IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

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