Keto Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're looking for a healthy pumpkin bars recipe, you're going to love this keto friendly and gluten free dessert! They are covered in a cream cheese spiced maple frosting, and they're truly decadent. These are one of the easiest fall desserts to feed your friends and family, with minimal prep time!

Disclosure:

This post is a paid partnership with our wonderful friends at Lodge Cast Iron! As you know, we have been huge fans of their amazing cookware for years, and we use it in so many of our recipes.

We utilized Lodge's Cast Iron 15.5" x 10.5" Baking Pan to bake these bars perfect, without any hassle. This baking pan is unlike any other. It comes pre-seasoned, so it's ready to use, and you don't need to worry about anything sticking, so you can skip the parchment!

It has two handles to make it easy to use, and it won't bend or warp in the oven. This pan holds heat and distributes it super evenly for a perfect cook (or bake) every time. It's easy to care for just like Lodge's other cookware, and we have a cast iron cookware care & cleaning guide to help you as well!

Fall is just such a glorious time of year! Pumpkin is in everything and we honestly love it that way. This recipe is a classic fall favorite, with a super soft, moist and spiced pumpkin base, then topped with a tangy, sweet and spiced cream cheese frosting.

They're absolutely irresistible and they're truly so easy to make. Don't let the ingredient list intimidate you, you mix the cake base all in one bowl, bake, then add it to a greased Lodge baking sheet. Bake, then frost!

We include lots of process pictures in the body of the text, as well as ideas for substitutions and more. Feel free to skip to the recipe card if you'd like to get right into it. This recipe is also available as a Google Web Story!

Ingredients:​

For the Pumpkin Bars:

• Almond flour & coconut flour - We use a blend of these two flours, with almond flour being the base. Coconut flour absorbs a TON of moisture, so it's helpful for it to soak up some of the extra liquid from the pumpkin puree and eggs. We don't recommend using all coconut flour for this recipe. It's not a 1:1 substitute for almond flour.
• Pumpkin spice - We make our own blend and it's so tasty! You could also use just plain cinnamon if you prefer. We will share our pumpkin spice recipe below.
• Xanthan gum - It's an essential ingredient for gluten free baking, to hold the bars together. It is technically optional but if you leave it out, the bars will become more crumbly.
• Baking powder & baking soda - We use a mix of both to give the bars a slight lift.
• Kosher salt - To enhance the sweetness and flavors.
• Unsalted butter - Melted and cooled. If you prefer, you could probably use coconut oil instead.
• Brown sugar replacement - We think this gives the best molasses like flavor to the bars, but any sugar replacement you prefer that measures the same as sugar will work just fine here.
• Pumpkin puree - Make sure it's pure pumpkin puree with no sugar or flavors added.
• Apple cider vinegar - A flavor enhancer, and it also helps create such a tender crumb.
• Vanilla extract - We use a full tablespoon in the batter.
• Eggs - Room temperature.

For the Spiced Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

This decadent frosting is based off of our classic keto cream cheese frosting recipe, with a few additions.

• Cream cheese - Leave it out for a couple of hours on the counter so that it gets nice and soft. When we mix it, this helps it to blend out smoothly with the butter, so that there aren't any clumps.
• Unsalted butter - Again, leave this out for a while so it gets soft and combines easily with the cream cheese.
• Maple syrup (or replacement) - We wanted the test of real maple here, and a little bit goes a long way. We know this isn't a traditional "keto" ingredient, but spread out over 20 servings, it's not so bad. You could also use a maple syrup substitute if you prefer to lower the carbs. You'll want to use something thin in consistency (like this brand) so it can mix well with the cream cheese.
• Vanilla extract & maple extract - To enhance the flavors in this frosting.
• Cinnamon - You could also use pumpkin spice here if you prefer.
• Kosher salt - To enhance flavor and sweetness.

How to Make These Keto Pumpkin Bars:

Make the bars:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your Lodge baking pan and set aside. (We used a 15.5" x 10.5" Lodge baking pan).

Start by combining almond flour, coconut flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum in a bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar replacement and unsalted butter in a bowl, mix to combine.

Add pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar, mix to combine.

Add eggs one by one to fully combine.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, sifting in the dry ingredients to the bowl.

Mix in a bowl, then spread in the greased Lodge baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

With a hand mixer, combine softened butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Then, sift in the powdered sweetener.

Add maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract and maple extract. Mix until light and fluffy, and refrigerate until it's time to use.

Frost the bars:

Frost, and then top with cinnamon or pumpkin spice if desired.

Cut into 20 pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled for the tastiest results, do no heat.

Tips For The Best Keto Pumpkin Bars:

• We used a 15.5" x 10.5" Lodge baking pan for this, but we think it should be okay to use a half sheet or a quarter sheet pan instead. Just keep a close eye on the bars after the 17-18 minute mark.
• We think the bars taste the best after they are stored in the fridge for a bit to chill.
• Make sure your cream cheese and butter for the frosting are softened and room temperature.
• Do not store the baking sheet in the fridge. The cast iron doesn't like excess moisture, so after the bars are cooled and frosted, cut them into pieces and store the pieces in the fridge in airtight containers. Clean and dry the baking sheet the same way you would a cast iron.
• If you want to freeze the bars, do not frost them first, and instead wrap the pumpkin bar base very tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months, and defrost in the fridge.

More Recipes Made with Lodge Cast Iron Cookware:

• Chicken & Butternut Squash Skillet with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
• Keto Chicken Parmesan Casserole with Zucchini
• Low Carb & Gluten Free Strawberry and Blueberry Pie
• Cast Iron Cheesy Meatball Bake

More Keto Pumpkin Recipes To Try:

• Keto Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
• Gluten Free & Low Carb Pumpkin Pancakes
• Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup
• Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo with Turkey and Rosemary

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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere