Swirled Cheesecake Pumpkin Bars
These Swirled Cheesecake Pumpkin Bars combine two iconic fall flavors, rich pumpkin spice and tangy cream cheese, into one showstopping, bakery-style dessert. Perfectly spiced with a buttery base and beautifully marbled top, these bars are easy enough for weeknight baking yet impressive enough for your holiday dessert table.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking pan
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or hand mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Butter knife or skewer (for swirling)
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Pumpkin Layer:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Cheesecake Swirl:
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and spices. Stir in the flour until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Pour pumpkin batter into prepared pan, reserving about ¾ cup. Smooth the top.
- Drop spoonfuls of cheesecake mixture over the batter, followed by spoonfuls of the reserved pumpkin mixture.
- Use a butter knife to swirl the two batters together in gentle figure-eight motions.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the center is just set and edges are golden.
- Cool completely in the pan, then chill for 2 hours before slicing.
Notes
Nutritional Info (per bar - approximate)
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 12g
- Carbs: 25g
- Sugar: 16g
- Protein: 3g
