web analytics

Cranberry Swirl Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cranberry Swirl Bars

I have to say that these Cranberry Swirl Pumpkin Bars are just about as perfect a dessert as you can get for Thanksgiving without baking a pie. They’re certainly appropriate for fans of pumpkin, cranberries and cream cheese frosting on other occasions, as well, but they really encompass the spirit of Thanksgiving by using so many favorite foods from that holiday.

The pumpkin bars are made with a pumpkin puree and are loaded up with all the spices you might find in pumpkin pie and some toasted pecans for crunch. Before going into the oven, whole berry cranberry sauce is swirled through the batter. This is not only a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (homemade or otherwise), but it adds a nice fresh, tart flavor to the bars. The bars bake up to be incredibly moist and tender. They’re great on their own, but a thin layer of cream cheese frosting takes them over the top and makes them indulgent and addictive.

I like adding pecans or walnuts in this recipe for the crunchy texture that they add, but if you’re really craving cranberries, you can add in an additional half cup of dried cranberries or chopped whole cranberries (fresh or frozen) instead of the nuts to bring out the cranberry flavors even more. You could sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of the frosting, or even put a little lemon or orange zest in with the cream cheese for another layer of flavor. Just thinking about the possibilities makes me want to bake another batch – and I’m sure I’ll have no problem finding people to share it with me.

Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Bars

Cranberry Swirl Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2/3 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Cream Cheese Frosting
3-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
1-2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and melted butter until well combined. Beat in egg, all of the spices and the vanilla extract. Stir in pumpkin puree, then stir in the flour mixture. When all of the flour has been incorporated, fold in the chopped pecans.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Dollop cranberry sauce on top and swirl through gently with a butter knife.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.
Cool bars completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese at medium speed. Beat in vanilla and milk, then gradually add in in the confectioners’ sugar until frosting reaches a thick, but spreadable consistency.
Spread in a thin layer over cooled bars (there may be frosting leftover; if so, store in the fridge in a ziploc bag for another batch).

Makes 24 bars

Share this article

19 Comments
  • Cookin' Canuck
    November 23, 2010

    Oh my! These sound fantastic. These would be the perfect treat to make with my kids this weekend.

  • Maria
    November 23, 2010

    Wow-these look wonderful!

  • Tiffany (Food Finery)
    November 23, 2010

    these sound like exactly the thing i will need to say goodbye to thanksgiving and begin the holiday decorating this weekend… yum!

  • Lauren at KeepItSweet
    November 23, 2010

    you managed to get so many thanksgiving flavors into one dessert!

  • What a perfect thing to bake with my extra cranberry sauce. mmmmmmmm.

  • Lauren
    November 24, 2010

    Oh yum! I would gobble (hehe) up a few of these in no time – even after a big turkey dinner :).

  • CaSaundra
    November 24, 2010

    Mmm..definitely saving this recipe! 🙂

  • Jean
    November 27, 2010

    I made this for one of our many Thanksgiving desserts…it was yummy! Thanks for all the great recipes.

  • Linda
    November 29, 2010

    I didn’t have the whole cranberry sauce but did have fresh cranberries and used them first to make your brown-sugar-maple cranberry sauce (delicious!) then used the sauce to make the bars. I needed two treats so I split the 9×13 into (2) 8 x8 and it was a perfect size for a family. The bars got lots of compliments. I still have some sauce left over–might have to make a 9×13 batch for the office…just to make sure they are as good in one pan! Thanks for a great recipe.

  • Meghan
    November 30, 2010

    These pumpkin bars were amazing – just the recipe I needed to use up leftover pumpkin and cranberry sauce. I definitely got the inspiration from your great recipe, but I subbed in a few ingredients and skipped the frosting (even though the husband begged me to make it). Would you mind if I post my adapted recipe on my blog? I’ll credit and link to your page, of course. Thanks again!

  • monica
    December 3, 2010

    I made these yesterday and they were delicious and addictive. I used leftover homemade cranberry compote and didn’t have the cream cheese for frosting so left them plain. My mom thinks they should be made into muffins since she wanted more of them. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.

  • Cookin' Cowgirl
    July 8, 2011

    Uh, YUM! That’s all I have to say!
    *drool*
    Makes me ready for fall!

  • Stephanie
    December 2, 2011

    These were a delicious way to use up those leftovers! They were so moist and the perfect amount of sweet. And, they were easy to make.
    I did not melt my butter. Instead I used my stand mixer to beat room temp butter with the butter. Otherwise all the same.
    Thanks so much!

  • Nancys Treasure Shop.com
    December 8, 2011

    These look so good, I can’t wait to try making them with my 7 year old. Wish I would have found before Thanksgiving but I’m sure they will fit into the upcoming holidays just fine (they look so yummy).

  • Bonnie
    November 4, 2012

    is this fresh pumpkin puree or from a can? thanks!

  • Nicole
    November 18, 2013

    Bonnie – You can use either. I generally prefer to bake with canned puree because it is more consistent and I always have it on hand.

  • […] Pumpkin cranberry bars with cream cheese frosting, from Baking Bites […]

  • laura.alise | Pearltrees
    April 21, 2012

    […] The pumpkin bars are made with a pumpkin puree and are loaded up with all the spices you might find in pumpkin pie and some toasted pecans for crunch. Before going into the oven, whole berry cranberry sauce is swirled through the batter. This is not only a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (homemade or otherwise), but it adds a nice fresh, tart flavor to the bars. Cranberry Swirl Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting « Baking Bites […]

  • […] easily slide into tasty sweets too. Try the Apple-Cranberry Crumb Pie on Epicurious or whip up the Cranberry Swirl Pumpkin Bars recipe on Baking […]

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *