Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars -

4.67 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars

Soft and cakey gluten free pumpkin bars are filled with the classic flavors of pumpkin pie and topped with a sweet-tangy, totally irresistible cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Batter resting time15

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: bars

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Nicole Spiridakis

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bars

2 ½ cups gluten free flour (280 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
3 eggs large
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, use light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, optional
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting

¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Pinch salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make Bars

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with oil and line with parchment paper, leaving some to go up the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk and stir until completely combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Let rest for at least 15 minutes so the flours can hydrate. Then preheat oven to 350° F.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, checking at 50 minutes. A tester inserted in the middle should come out clean, the top should feel slightly firm when lightly pressed, and the edges should be coming away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about an hour. Place in the fridge to chill further while you make the frosting.

Make Frosting

Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the ingredients together until well blended and slightly fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and then sift in the powdered sugar (to avoid lumps). Mix very well until a thick frosting forms. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake and place in the fridge.
Pumpkin bars may be served cold from the fridge or at room temperature. You can slice them all up at once or as needed. Bars will keep, well covered in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients to room temperature before using. This will help them seamlessly blend into the batter. This is especially important when making the cream cheese frosting - the cream cheese should be very soft so the finished frosting is beautifully smooth.

To make vegan: Substitute three flax eggs for the eggs. Use your preferred vegan butter substitute and cream cheese substitute in the frosting.

Skip the maple syrup: If you don't have maple syrup on hand, you can swap it with honey, or just omit it altogether. The bars will still be perfectly sweet.

Use pumpkin pie spice: Swap 2 ¼ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the combination of spices in the batter if you have this spice blend handy.

Add a sprinkle of cinnamon: Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon - or ginger, cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice blend - over the top of the frosting for a decorative finish.

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