Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Course:
Breakfast, Dessert
Seasonal Event:
Fall
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 & 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 ¾ cups fresh roasted pumpkin puree (recipe below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Pumpkin Puree:
- 1 4-pound pumpkin
- 2-3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Cream Cheese Mixture:
- 16 oz. Cream cheese-softened
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 /3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs- slightly beaten
DIRECTIONS:
Pumpkin Puree:
- Heat oven to 400˚
- Cut top off pumpkin and scoop out flesh and seeds
- Cut pumpkin in half from top to bottom
- Rub cut side of pumpkin with grapeseed oil
- Place pumpkin on baking sheet, cut-side-down, and roast for 30-45 minutes, or until fork tender
- Allow pumpkin to cool, then scoop flesh out of shell and add to food processor or blender
- Blend or pulse until puree is smooth
- Chill and refrigerate until needed for recipe
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bar:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray 10 x 15 x 1- inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray, then line with parchment paper and spray the paper, set aside.
- To make pumpkin bars first whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat 4 eggs and sugar. Add oil, pumpkin and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Mix in dry ingredients and pour in prepared pan, then smooth the top.
- Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and mix just to combine. Transfer the mixture in piping bag or zip-lock bag and cut off the corner. Draw the lines of cream cheese mixture diagonally on top of pumpkin pie mixture.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before serving.