The chill in the air over the weekend got me pretty pumped for Fall! It’s officially here and is in full swing with all of the pumpkin, squash, and Fall inspired recipes and posts surfacing lately.
Hey, I’m not complaining. Since moving up north and getting to experience the changing of the leaves and cool (sans humidity) breeze in the air, Fall has become my favorite time of the year! Pumpkin spice lattes, trips to the cider mills, pumpkin carving, hearty soups, sweaters, bonfires, I just love everything about it.
I know this is going to be predictable, but do you know what my favorite thing about Fall is?
Pumpkin. Everything pumpkin. I discovered my love for it just a few years ago and it only seems to grow as the years go by. To kick things off this year, I decided to get back in the kitchen (finally!) and create a lightened up version of a carrot pumpkin bar I stumbled upon a while ago.
I decided to include raisins and a cream cheese “frosting” to make it more carrot cake-like. The result was drool-worthy.
Ingredients
Carrot Pumpkin Bars
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup stevia
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine
2 large eggs
6 Tbsp. egg white liquid (equal to 2 large eggs)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Topping
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup stevia
**********
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 25-30 minutes
servings: 24 bars
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 15″ x 10″ (or similar sized) pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a separate (larger) mixing bowl, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Add eggs, egg white liquid, pumpkin, carrots, and raisins. Beat until everything is well blended.
4. Add flour mixture and mix well until blended. Slowly pour and spread into greased pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake is baked all the way through. (Easy tester: insert a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean).
6. Prepare cream cheese topping by mixing all ingredients together while cake is baking. (optional)
7. Cool in pan on wire rack, then cut into squares. Serve as is or add cream cheese topping!
While the cream cheese topping was a great addition, it wasn’t one hundred percent necessary. If you know you are going to take a few days to get through these, you might want to leave it on the side and keep it in the refrigerator.
Either way, I could barely walk passed them without stealing one every time!
Happy Fall!
Question of the Day
Are you a big pumpkin fan?
I actually used to hate it. I could barely even stand pumpkin pie. Really. The first time I really gave the flavor a try was when I worked at a breakfast place and tried their Pumpkin Pancakes. Ohhhhhh my gosh, were they the best things ever.
Since that day, I became more open to pumpkin and now feel like I can’t live without it! Funny how things change, huh?
![[in our elementary school era] 🚌😭
Skyler did great walking into KINDERGARTEN with a big smile on his face this morning. I, however, was a bit of a mess on our walk home. 🥹
It’s wild how fast these 5 years with him have gone … 7 since we moved to NYC and into our apartment, dreaming of the day our kids would someday go to the *awesome* school right down our block. 🏫
That day is today, and I still don’t believe it — feeling allll of the emotions and thanking God for placing us here and for being able to trust His timing through the journey. 🫶🏼 #hbshinnyc
SO proud of you, SK - you are going to rock your first year at your “big boy school” - WE LOVE YOU !! 🩵👑](https://lifeinleggings.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
These look delicious! I am definitely a fall and pumpkin fan! I hate when it starts getting really cold but love the fall season 🙂
I’m with you. I prefer cool over cold. I’m glad there are things like pumpkin to make it easier. 😉
These look delicious! I am so gonna try them! 🙂
Awesome! Let me know how they turn out. Happy Thursday!
YUM! Definitely trying these! I seriously do love everything pumpkin. Coffee/lattes, candles, cookies, pie…the list goes on an on. It’s an addiction, really.
Oh I’m the same way… obviously. Give me anything and everything pumpkin! 😀
These bars sound fantastic! I already pinned them and will be trying asap!
Thanks for sharing it! Enjoy!
These look super tasty! I will definitely be giving them a try soon 🙂 I too am pumpkin obsessed!
Yum! Pumpkin doesn’t seem to be as popular here in the UK like it is in the US but anything cake-like with frosting is a must in my eyes! 😉
I absolutely love pumpkin roll but it is very unhealthy with all the cream cheese. I can’t wait to try this lightened up version of pumpkin bars. Hopefully it cures my fix for pumpkin roll!
yes love pumpkin, and these sound great never though to combine my love for pumpkin with my love for carrot cake yum!
I love pumpkin but whatever reason, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. However, give me pumpkin cookies, muffins, scones and coffee and I am one happy girl!
I never used pumpkin until about a year ago. Now I can’t stop putting it in my recipes and meals!
These look delicious! I love everything pumpkin!
Seriously. Pumpkin everything!
girrrrl these look delicious! Glad you’re seeing the beauty in the seasons- especially fall! It’s so hard not to love (although I think it’s a way to psych us out before the dead of winter hits us!)
Haha very true! They’re just trying to soften the blow of the frozen tundra coming right behind it… 😉
These look DELICIOUS!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh absolutely love pumpkin. LOVE. Definitely the best thing about fall 🙂 Other than cozy sweaters and bonfires of course!
The best!!