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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Pumpkin Gooey Bars

Published: Aug 23, 2023 · Updated: Dec 28, 2024 by Marye

These freeze well for anytime snacks! Get ready for a taste of fall with these Gooey Pumpkin Bars. Every bite is full of warm pumpkin spice flavor and a deliciously gooey texture.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
A stack of pumpkin bars on a plate showing the layers of spice cake and pumpkin.
A stack of gooey pumpkin bars with text overlay for Pinterest.

Moist, gooey, and full of fall flavor!

Don't want to scroll through the page to get to the recipe? Use the table of contents to click on the section you want to go to.

A stack of the bars with a bite out of the top one showing the layers.
Table of Contents
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🥫 How to store leftovers
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

🗝️ Key takeaways

  • So easy! Starts with a boxed cake mix and has a 10-minute prep.
  • This casual pumpkin dessert is perfect for after-school, bake sales, potlucks, and lazy weekend movie nights!
  • Be sure to check the How to store leftovers section for my tips on freezing individual servings for quick carb cravings!

In this delicious dessert recipe, you'll dollop gooey pumpkin filling over top of a moist spice cake layer for a Thanksgiving table-worthy treat.

Fussy pies are so last year—these easy gooey pumpkin bars are always a huge hit and are sure to become one of your new favorite desserts for fall.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Labeled ingredients for gooey pumpkin butter bars.

📖 Variations

  • Spice cake mix goes great with rich pumpkin flavors, but you can swap it for another kind. Chocolate, yellow, and white cake mix work just fine.
  • Feel free to use homemade pumpkin puree. Just be sure to drain it well so that your gooey pumpkin bars bake with the right texture.
  • Make your own pumpkin pie spice using my tried-and-true blend: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon cloves, and a pinch of ground chipotle—the chipotle's optional, but it adds a subtle, Southern warmth.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Step by step images showing how to make the base for the bars.
  1. Dump the cake mix into a large bowl.
  2. Add the eggs and room-temperature butter.
  3. Combine cake mix ingredients, and press into a prepared pan.
  4. Bake as directed.
Step by step images showing how to make the topping for gooey pumpkin bars.
  1. Place the softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, remaining butter, and pumpkin spice.
  3. Sift in the powdered sugar and combine until smooth.
  4. Pour over top of the cake batter. Top with nutmeg, if desired, and bake.

🥫 How to store leftovers

Out of all the pumpkin desserts, these gooey pumpkin bars go fast. However, they'll keep well if you happen to have leftovers—and, they taste great with morning coffee!

Refrigerate

Cover the bars with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store 'em in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to separate each slice with some wax paper so the soft crust doesn't stick to the pumpkin mixture.

Heads up: because of the gooey layer, you can't safely store these at room temperature.

Freeze

To make them last a little longer, transfer the pumpkin gooey bars to an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

The best way to do this is to flash-freeze the bars. Place the cooled, cut pumpkin bars on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 2 hours or until firm and frozen.

Now, they store super easily.

You can add each bar individually to a small Ziploc bag for individual servings that you can just toss in the kids' lunches.

Or, you can place them in layers in an airtight container with parchment between the layers. They won't stick together so you can grab one or two easily.

Pumpkin bars being cut into bars.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Don't overcook these dessert bars, or they'll lose that gooey, soft texture. The best way to check for doneness is to look for a slight wiggle in the center of the pan—however, the bars shouldn't be wet.

  • Remember, at the grocery store, look for pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is not the same thing, though it looks similar.
  • Don't opt for low-fat cream cheese. It's too watery and not as tasty.
  • Use the paddle attachment, not the whisk. Otherwise, you'll add too much air into the batter. Gooey cake tastes best when it's a little dense.
  • I prefer butter to grease my dish, but cooking spray works too.
  • Press the cake batter firmly into the corners of your baking dish. This way, the top layer won't spill over the edges, and you'll have pretty bars!
  • Don't put a piping hot baking dish into the fridge to cool. It can ruin other sensitive fridge items, and you risk shattering the glass.

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👩‍🍳 FAQs

What are gooey butter cake bars?

Traditional butter bars are a Midwest classic, though we have adopted 'em here in the South, too. The dense, cake-like treat uses a lot of butter, giving it a very soft, moist texture that tastes gooey and rich.

Help! I didn't soften the butter!

If you forgot to pull the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge to soften, no worries. This ooey gooey pumpkin cake recipe is very forgiving. Simply warm it in the microwave using 50% power until just soft—be sure to rotate every ten seconds or so, and don't let it melt.

How long do I have to wait before cutting the bars?

Pumpkin gooey butter bars cut the cleanest if you let them completely chill first. I recommend overnight, but two to four hours in the fridge should do the trick if you really can't wait.

A pumpkin bar on a plate.

📚 Related recipes

  • Your family will crave the warm, cozy flavors of Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake. It takes just five minutes of prep and bakes in a half hour.
  • Festive and fun, this No-Bake Double Layer Pumpkin Pie has traditional pumpkin pie flavor without any fuss—it's really simple but really good!
  • Don't miss this Pumpkin Bread Pudding!
  • Tired of pumpkin recipes already? Try my Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Bars for a cozy, rich treat. (The nutty browned butter is key!)
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A pumpkin bar being served.

📞 The last word

I love lots of things about fall but one of the things I love most is pumpkin spice everything!

These bars are SO good with a cup of coffee and a good book! Try them - and let me know what you think.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

A stack of pumpkin bars on a plate showing the layers of spice cake and pumpkin.

Gooey Pumpkin Bars

5 from 1 vote
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These freeze well for anytime snacks! Get ready for a taste of fall with these Gooey Pumpkin Bars. Every bite is full of warm pumpkin spice flavor and a deliciously gooey texture.
Course Dessert - Cake,Dessert - Cookies
Cuisine American - Southern
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
Servings:16 1 bar per serving
Calories:386
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

Crust

  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 15.25 ounces spice cake mix, I used Duncan Hines

Pumpkin Filling

  • 2 eggs
  • 15 ounces pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted to break up lumps
  • whole nutmeg, optional
  • powdered sugar, for garnish - optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Grease 9x13 baking dish.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, eggs, and cake mix.
  • Press firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
  • Combine eggs, pumpkin, cream cheese, remaining butter, pumpkin pie spice, and powdered sugar.
  • Spread on top of crust.
  • Grate some whole nutmeg over the top if desired.
  • Bake 40 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely before serving. Overnight is best.
  • Just before serving sift some powdered sugar lightly over the top.

Notes

Storage:
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Freeze for up to three months tightly wrapped.
Tips:
  • Use full-fat cream cheese.
  • When done the center will be slightly jiggly but not wet to the touch.
  • Do not over-bake.
  • This is easiest to cut and serve when it's chilled overnight.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 4652IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

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Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

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NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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