Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars

Food

Audio By Carbonatix

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

For bars

• 1/2 cup salted butter (4 oz or 1 stick)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup (300 grams) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 15-ounce can (425 grams) pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cup (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

For frosting

• 1/2 cup salted butter (4 oz or 1 stick)
• 6 oz (168 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (225 grams) powdered sugar

A few notes on making this:

• Make sure to use salted butter, or increase your salt to 3/4 tsp if unsalted. 
• Bars will keep well for several days if covered tightly. 

Directions

• Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 350°F. 
• Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch cake pan with vegetable oil or butter.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook until it turns toasty-brown in color and smells nutty, about 4 to 6 minutes, frequently stirring and scraping up any bits from the bottom so they don’t burn.
• Immediately remove from heat and transfer brown butter to a heat-proof bowl or liquid measuring cup (scraping all of the brown bits into the cup). 
• Set aside to cool while prepping other ingredients. **Time-Saving Tip: Brown the butter for the pumpkin bars and frosting at the same time, then divide into equal portions—1/2 cup for the pumpkin bars, 1/2 cup for the frosting. 
• Refrigerate the frosting portion for 35 minutes, or until just firm.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup brown butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. 
• Whisk in eggs until well combined.
  
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
  
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until integrated and no streaks of flour remain.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and evenly distribute it.
  
• Bake until puffed and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. (Start checking at 18 minutes.) A tester inserted into the middle of the bars should come out clean. 
• Cool completely in the pan before frosting.
  
• To make the frosting: Brown the butter using the same method as described above. (skip if you browned all the butter at once as mentioned above).
• Refrigerate for 35 minutes, or until just firm.
  
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cooled brown butter (making sure to scrape all of the congealed brown bits into the mixing bowl), cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla. 
• Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl once or twice. 
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar and mix until well blended, then increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and creamy, about 15 seconds longer.
  
• Spread the frosting evenly over the pumpkin bars with an offset spatula. 
• Cut and serve.