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These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars taste like pumpkin pie and cheesecake had a delicious baby! With a gingersnap crust, pumpkin pie filling and a cream cheese swirl, this is the perfect fall dessert for parties and holidays.
It’s October so we are firmly in pumpkin season now! I am all about those pumpkin desserts, like my Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins. But this is a new favorite- the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bar! It has a crust made out of gingersnaps, a pumpkin custard filling – pretty much exactly the filling of a pumpkin pie. And to take them totally over the top, they are finished off with a cream cheese swirl! Wow!
We are just launching into baking season and I plan to bake up a storm this fall and winter. I was really excited to find everything I needed to make these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars at my local Safeway. I stocked up on everything I needed for holiday baking. Especially Signature SELECT™ canned pumpkin puree, O Organics® granulated sugar and Lucerne® Cream Cheese – all ingredients I used in this recipe.
What ingredients do you need for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars?
For the Gingersnap Crust
- gingersnaps
- sugar
- melted butter
For Pumpkin Filling
- pure pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling
- heavy cream
- eggs
- sugar
- pumpkin pie spice
- vanilla extract
- salt
Cream Cheese Swirl
- cream cheese – must be room temperature for best results.
- egg
- vanilla extract
- sugar
How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Make the crust
-
Crush 12 ounces of gingersnap cookies by pulsing them in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place them in a large zip top bag and crush them with a heavy object such as a rolling pin. It should make about 2 and a half cups of cookie crumbs.
-
Place the gingersnap crumbs in a bowl, add sugar and melted butter. Use a fork to mix until fully combined. Mixture will resemble wet sand.
-
Pour crumbs into the prepared in an even layer. Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs into a compact, level crust. Set aside.
Make the Pumpkin Filling
-
Combine ingredients for pumpkin filling in a bowl and whisk until fully combined, set aside.
Make the Cream Cheese Swirl
-
Add softened cream cheese to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and whip until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whip until fully combined.
Create Swirls
- Pour half of the pumpkin mixture into the pan over the prepared crust. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls over the pumpkin mixture. Pour the rest of the pumpkin mixture over the top. Finish by pouring spoonfuls of the remaining cream cheese mixture in over the top of the pumpkin mixture.
- Use a knife to create swirls by starting in the top corner of the dish, and carefully run the knife through the pumpkin and cream cheese mixture, being careful not to disturb the crust. Continue to run the knife from the top to the bottom until you reach the other side of the dish. Repeat in the other direction (from right to left).
Bake
-
Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, of until center is set. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. When pumpkin bars have cooled, transfer to the fridge and chill until completely cold, about 2 hours.
-
Once chilled, bars can be cut and served. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I shopped at Safeway, but you can also find Signature SELECT exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Vons.
Safeway also offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 12 ounces Gingersnap Cookies crushed. Makes about 2.5 cups when crushed.
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
For Pumpkin Filling
- 15 ounces Pumpkin Puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3/4 cup Packed brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 ounces Cream cheese softened - must be room temperature or the swirl won't work correctly.
- 1 Large egg
- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Crush 12 ounces of gingersnap cookies by pulsing them in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can place them in a large zip top bag and crush them with a heavy object such as a rolling pin. It should make about 2 and a half cups of cookie crumbs.
- Place the gingersnap crumbs in a bowl, add sugar and melted butter. Use a fork to mix until fully combined. Mixture will resemble wet sand.
- Pour crumbs into the prepared in an even layer. Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs into a compact, level crust. Set aside.
- Combine ingredients for pumpkin filling in a bowl and whisk until fully combined, set aside.
- Add softened cream cheese to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and whip until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whip until fully combined.
- Pour half of the pumpkin mixture into the pan over the prepared crust. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls over the pumpkin mixture. Pour the rest of the pumpkin mixture over the top. Finish by pouring spoonfuls of the remaining cream cheese mixture in over the top of the pumpkin mixture.
- Use a knife to create swirls by starting in the top corner of the dish, and carefully run the knife through the pumpkin and cream cheese mixture, being careful not to disturb the crust. Continue to run the knife from the top to the bottom until you reach the other side of the dish. Repeat in the other direction (from right to left).
- Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, of until center is set. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. When pumpkin bars have cooled, transfer to the fridge and chill until completely cold, about 2 hours.
- Once chilled, bars can be cut and served. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
