Soft and chewy with a fudgy almost brownie-like texture, these cheesecake swirled pumpkin bars are the pumpkin spiced bar of your dreams. The tangy cheesecake swirl perfectly complements the sweetness of the pumpkin. Plus they’re super easy to make, easy to share and freeze well! What’s not to like?
Ingredients for these pumpkin bars
These cheesecake swirled pumpkin bars call for fall baking staples you probably already have on hand, so you can whip these up on a whim! Here’s your shopping list!
Unsalted butter
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Pumpkin puree
Vanilla extract
Egg Yolk
All Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Salt
Ground Cinnamon
Cream Cheese
Tips for getting the perfect cheesecake swirl
Of course looks aren’t everything, but a gorgeous marbled top pumpkin cheesecake bar is simply irresistible. And luckily I know alllllll the surefire ways to guarantee you thick, beautiful cheesecake swirls.
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature: The last thing you want is for your gorgeous cheesecake swirl to turn into a lumpy swirl. To ensure your swirl is silky smooth, make sure your cream cheese is a true room temperature so that there are no lumps!
Drop the cheesecake by big spoonfuls rather than a bunch of small ones: The key to a pretty marble is fat swirls, so we like to drop 5 or 6 huge spoonfuls rather than a bunch of little ones.
Do not over swirl the cheesecake and pumpkin: I know swirling is kind of fun, but you don’t want to overswirl the cheesecake and pumpkin batter together or you’ll end up with no distinct swirls!
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper on all sides. Set aside.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir with a whisk. Repeat process 2 more times. Though granules of sugar will remain, the goal is to get the mixture to a glossy finish.
Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the egg yolk. Mix well.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until no streaks of flour remain. Do not over mix.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread into a flat and even layer
In a clean bowl, combine the ingredients for the cheesecake swirl and mix until smooth and no lumps remain.
Drop the cream cheese mixture in big spoonfuls on top of the pumpkin batter. Use a butter knife to make big swirls. Do not do over swirl the bater–you want to big, distinct swirls.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are set, and the center has puffed up, but is still slightly gooey.
