Pumpkin Roll Bars

I am loving the first cool dry day of fall here in sunny Southwest Virginia! Time for baking an annual favorite, Pumpkin Roll Bars!  I found the recipe on Pinterest a few years ago. You can see the original here.

I don’t veer too far from the original except on a few counts. These bars are best served cold so once they’ve cooled, cut them in squares and store in the frig.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Two mixing bowls
One 9 x 13 inch baking pan
Cooking Spray
Electric Mixer

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1/4 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In one bowl, cream the butter, sugars, pumpkin, water, eggs and vanilla on medium speed. Blend in the spices, baking sofa and baking powder. Finally, add the flour a cup at a time blending the cake mixture until smooth. The batter will be thick and paste-like in consistency.

In the second bowl blend the filling ingredients until smooth.

Spray the baking pan with non-stick spray and smooth two-thirds of the batter evenly. Add the filling and spread to the edges forming a second layer. Drop the remaining batter in dollops on top of the cream cheese layer. With a butter knife lightly swirl the dollops into the bottom two layers. (You don’t want to blend completely.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when touched. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars. If you have any left, store in the ‘frig. Enjoy!