The Guest Room

I’m kicking off fall by baking one of my favorite festive desserts! Pumpkin Bars from the kitchen of Chelsea Petersen. She puts me to shame in the baking department and I can always count on a sweet treat from this sweet friend!

This recipe is not only pumpkiny goodness.. it’s REALLY simple and from scratch which will make you feel like a super homemaker 😉

What you’ll need:

For the bars:

2 cups of pumpkin
2 cups of sugar (Yikes, I know! I didn’t say it ways healthy… just easy!)
2 cups of flour
1 cup of oil
4 eggs
1 drop of vanilla
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt

For the frosting:

6 oz of cream cheese
6 oz of butter
3 cups of powdered sugar (Again… all in moderation. Right?! 🙂 )
1 1/2 tbsp of milk (I substituted with almond milk and it tasted great!)
1/8 tsp of vanilla

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the ingredients “for the bars” in a bowl and mix (a power mixer is easiest, but hand mixing works fine.)

Lightly grease your pan and pour mixture in.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it springs back to the touch (over baking really changes the taste of these so keep your eye on it the first time you try the recipe.)

While it’s baking, combine frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until soft and smooth.

(It’s hard to get the fluffy texture you want for the frosting without a power mixer. You don’t need the dream Kitchen Aid… I use a hand mixer that I’m pretty sure was like $20 and it works great!)

Let your cake cool completely before frosting annnd…

Voila! We fondly call them pumpkin bars, but it’s more of a cake. And topped with homemade cream cheese frosting – too good!

I like to sprinkle a little cinnamon on the top before serving, but I couldn’t wait any longer this time. 😉 This is a great recipe for when you want to whip up something homemade, seasonal, and yummy, but don’t have a ton of time on your hands. It’s always popular with my husband (the few times a year I decide to bake just for fun…) and it’s a great serving size for guests.

Let me know if you try it and love it! Have a favorite seasonal recipe of your own?? Send it my way 🙂

Happy baking & happy fall!!