Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

  Desserts

I made these for a church function once and they turned out to be a big hit. There was barely a crumb left on the platter after everyone dug in. I love this dessert because it tastes light, smooth, and nutty.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Average Rating: 4.2

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling
YIELD: 2 dozen.

Ingredients

  • 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup for topping.
  • 2. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.
  • 3. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, spices and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over warm crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
  • 4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Serve within 2 hours or refrigerate, covered.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 196 calories, 12g fat (6g saturated fat), 52mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (12g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.

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