The first glimpse of an orange pumpkin means it’s officially fall. In Seattle, we hit 95 degrees one day, and then the next, it was sweatshirt weather! And I am all for sweatshirt weather.
Let’s just keep this train rolling, shall we?
These pumpkin bars have a cheesecake-like filling and a crunchy streusel topping. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to make them – they’re a great dessert all season long.
I love adding a streusel topping to my dessert bars whenever I have the opportunity. This streusel is so simple and adds another layer of texture to the smooth pumpkin and cream cheese filling.
Make sure to let your cream cheese soften to room temperature. This helps it to blend smoothly with the other ingredients. If your cream cheese was still a little cool and you notice some lumps in the filling, push the mixture through a mesh strainer before you pour the mix over the graham cracker crust.
If you are feeling extra decadent, top these with caramel sauce. The bars are great on their own, but the caramel takes them up a notch. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Bars with Streusel Topping Recipe
Make sure to let your cream cheese soften to room temperature before mixing the filling to avoid lumps.
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust:- 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 6 tablespoons regular salted butter, melted and cooled slightly so no longer hot
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 tablespoons regular salted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought, optional
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