Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars

Clearly I'm excited for autumn weather and baking again. Especially after this excessively hot summer that we had I'm tired of the heat and counting down until the cool fall weather arrives.  That said, I've started my fall baking already and baked up the Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars. I found this recipe in the Better Home and Gardens magazine and I'm extremely glad I did because these bars are phenomenal! The texture is more like a cake rather than a brownie but it's still great nonetheless. Plus, it's wonderful to have with your morning cup of coffee.

Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars

(Source: Better Home and Gardens Magazine)

Pumpkin Bar: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Swirl:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Add eggs, pumpkin, and oil; stir until combined. Spread batter evenly into an ungreased 15X10 inch baking pan. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl combine half  of an 8 ounce package of cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixture on medium speed until combined. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Drizzle cream cheese mixture over pumpkin batter in pan. Use a knife to gently marble the mixtures together. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.