Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Happy Friday, fellow foodies! I hope you are having a great week. It’s starting to feel very much like fall and I’m very inspired to create yummy recipes.

This week, I definitely wanted to create a pumpkin recipe because nothing says fall like pumpkin. I put together this mashup of three types of dessert: shortbread, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake.

It was even better than I expected! A couple of diets were definitely wrecked this week with this one. It has a delicious crumbly crust topped with pumpkin cheesecake filling and a vanilla buttercream frosting! Oh man, was it good!

The pictures do not do it justice! It’s the best bar dessert I’ve ever had. I hope you will try it today or stash it away for a special occasion because it’s a keeper!

Have a great weekend!

😄 Jennifer

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground gloves

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter melted

1/4 cup milk plus extra if needed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine crust ingredients (butter, flour, powdered sugar). Mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated.

3. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese and brown sugar. Add eggs and pumpkin and mix thoroughly.

6. Spread mixture over hot crust and return to the oven for twenty minutes. Cool completely.

7. Combine frosting ingredients and mix until smooth. Spread over pumpkin layer and allow to solidify. I found that if it’s pourable, the top layer will be smooth.

8. Slice into bars and enjoy!