My sister recently hosted fall chili night, which in our family means two pots on the stove (one with beans and one without), a countertop full of toppings and chip options (are you team Fritos or team Tostitos Scoops?), and everyone in cozy sweats yelling at the TV screen (usually at the Giants or the Browns). I was on dessert duty and remembered a pumpkin bar recipe I had recently seen on Instagram. It stood out to me because it used a whole can of pumpkin puree, and I feel like most recipes use only a little actual pumpkin and a lot of pumpkin spice. Fast forward to the end of the night, and everyone was fighting over the leftovers and asking for the recipe. It confirmed for me what I was making for Thanksgiving at my in-laws’ this year, and my niece said she was definitely bringing it to her Friendsgiving because it serves a ton of people.
I made sure my parents had plenty of the leftovers, and the next day my dad texted me this.
Probably? I’ll take it.
He had his with a cup of Barry’s tea, which is exactly how pumpkin bars should be eaten, and I’ll admit I read that text more than once.
They snacked on the rest all week, and a few days later my mom sent hers.
From my mom, that is about as high as praise goes.
These days, getting her to eat much of anything takes some doing.
Where the Old Grist Mill pumpkin bars recipe comes from
The credit for this one belongs to @emi.naegle on Instagram. She rebuilt this recipe from her memories of working at a bakery called Old Grist Mill while in college. What sold me was her reason for loving them: the flavors are clearly pumpkin and cinnamon, and that’s it. I’ve made a lot of pumpkin desserts over the years, and this one has immediately jumped to the top of the list.
Pull up a chair. I’ll put the kettle on.
What makes these the best pumpkin bars?
Cinnamon, and nothing else. No nutmeg, no cloves. The pumpkin gets to be the main flavor, and the cream cheese frosting does the rest.
The whole can goes in. No sad half-can of pumpkin sitting in the fridge until you throw it out. A standard 15-ounce can is what I used, and it worked perfectly.
Double the frosting. Okay, so this became a happy accident. Emi’s recipe calls for 4 ounces of cream cheese, and the block came as 8 ounces, so of course doubling the recipe was the right answer! But then as I made it, I realized I did not have 6 cups of powdered sugar. I had enough of the other ingredients and decided there was no turning back. In the end, I loved the cream cheese flavor, and the consistency was great. If anything, I think it would have been too sweet had I doubled the sugar. It all worked out!
Keep the frosting separate. As you can see in my photo, I topped each bar with a thick swirl of frosting as I served it. That meant the cake could stay on the countertop while the frosting lived in the fridge and got a quick stir each time, so the bars didn’t get too soggy, especially as leftovers.
Use a sheet pan. I baked mine in the Griddle Pan from my Our Place bakeware set, the same set that’s in my fall kitchen edit. It’s like a cookie sheet, but better: more versatile and nonstick. (I love this set, and if you’re reading this in November, it’s massively discounted, more than $70 off, for Black Friday and makes a phenomenal holiday gift!)
Let them cool completely. Cream cheese frosting on a warm cake slides right off.
It’s a crowd recipe. One pan cuts into enough squares for a party, which is why it’s the dessert I’d bring to anything between now and New Year’s: Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, a potluck, chili night or your next family Sunday dinner.
Old Grist Mill Pumpkin Bars
Adapted from Emi (@emi.naegle) · Bakes 25 minutes at 350°F · One large sheet pan
Pumpkin bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (15 to 16 ounces)
1⅓ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
Cream cheese frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened (two sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons milk or cream
Method
Heat the oven to 350°F and grease your pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set it aside.
Beat the eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil in a stand or hand mixer until they’re well combined.
Stir in the dry ingredients, just until there’s no dry flour left.
Spread the batter into the greased pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat again. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until it spreads easily.
Cut into squares, top each one with a swirl of frosting, and serve with a cup of tea. Keep the extra frosting in the fridge.
If your crowd is more apple than pumpkin, the apple crisp that starts fall in our house is the other dessert I make every year, and it’s the one my parents got last time. You can pin both and have fall dessert covered through Thanksgiving.
What’s the dessert your family asks you to bring every fall?