Carrot Pumpkin Bars With Orange Icing Recipes

THE BEST PUMPKIN BARS I'VE EVER HAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 10×15 inch baking pan. Or line the pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars (as a whole) out.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
• Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-35 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the bars browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
• Remove the bars from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Cool bars completely. (After about 45 minutes of cooling, you can place the bars in the refrigerator to speed things up!)
• In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add an extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar. Spread the frosting on the cooled bars. To help "set" the frosting, refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This makes cutting easier and less messy.
• Enjoy with or without a fork, but definitely grab a napkin!
• Cover leftover bars tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you skipped the frosting, cover and store plain pumpkin bars at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

SPICED PUMPKIN BARS WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• For the bars: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, leaving an inch of overhang on the sides.
• Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, nutmeg and cloves in a large bowl until evenly combined. In another bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs and pumpkin puree until smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the batter just comes together.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then unmold and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed with a handheld mixer until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until evenly combined and smooth. Spread the icing on the top of the cake in a smooth and even layer. Cut the cake into twenty-four 2-inch squares and serve.

ORANGE-SPICE PUMPKIN BARS WITH BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with shortening; lightly flour (or spray with baking spray with flour).
• In large bowl, beat bar ingredients with electric mixer on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread batter evenly in pan.
• Bake 23 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until light golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk until smooth and spreadable. Immediately spread frosting over cooled bars. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows. If desired, garnish each bar with orange peel strip.

FROSTED CARROT BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs and carrots. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to carrot mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. , In a bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Blend in sugar until smooth. Place 1/4 cup of frosting in a small bowl; stir in yellow and red food coloring to make orange. Set aside. Place 3 tablespoons frosting in a small bowl; stir in green food coloring., Spread white frosting on cake. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with orange frosting. Mark off 20 squares on the cake; pipe a small carrot in the center of each square. Place green frosting in another bag; cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe greens on top of each carrot.

PUMPKIN BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-by-12-inch cake pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Brush parchment with butter.
• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and milk; set aside
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, and beat until combined. On low speed add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of pumpkin mixture, and beating until just combined after each.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top with spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and pinch of salt until light and creamy, 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until incorporated.
• Assemble: Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake. Cut into 12 bars.

PUMPKIN BARS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until foamy; add white sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin. Beat on medium speed until incorporated, 2 minutes.
• Mix flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Beat flour mixture into egg mixture on low speed until just combined, 1 minute. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Spread frosting evenly over cooled pumpkin cake; sprinkle with cinnamon.