The Best Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft pumpkin bars made with fresh milled flour, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and an optional caramel drizzle. An easy fall dessert ready in under an hour.

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Fall baking season is one of my favorite times of year around here, and these pumpkin bars have become one of the recipes I make on repeat. They are soft, lightly spiced, and made with fresh milled soft white wheat instead of bagged flour, so you get real flavor and nutrition in every bite. Once they cool, I spread on a simple cream cheese frosting and finish them with a caramel drizzle, which is optional but so good if you have a few extra minutes.

Quick answer, if you’re short on time: this recipe uses 1 cup (130 grams) of fresh milled soft white wheat flour, comes together in about 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and bakes in an 8×8 pan at 350°F for 25 to 27 minutes. The cream cheese frosting takes about 5 minutes to whip up while the bars cool. It makes 12 bars. Full ingredient amounts in both cups and grams, plus step-by-step instructions, are below.

This recipe uses soft white wheat, which mills into a lighter, more tender flour than hard wheat. That’s exactly what you want in a soft bar like this one, instead of the chewier texture hard wheat gives things like pizza dough or sandwich bread. If you’re new to milling your own flour, my Fresh Milled Flour Baking Guide for Beginners walks through the basics, including which wheat berries to use for what.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Made with fresh milled flour – Soft white wheat gives these bars a tender crumb and a flavor you just don’t get from bagged, store-bought flour
• Real pumpkin flavor – Warm cinnamon and pumpkin puree make these taste like fall without being overly sweet
• Simple, one-bowl batter – No mixer required for the bars themselves, just a bowl and a whisk
• Topped two ways – Tangy cream cheese frosting on its own is wonderful, or drizzle on caramel for a little extra something
• Easy pan size – One 8×8 pan makes a perfect 12 bars, no need to feed a crowd or scale a full sheet cake

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the pumpkin bars

• 2 large eggs, room temperature (about 100g)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 1/2 cup lard, melted (can be substituted with any other oil) (about 100–110g depending on the fat you use)
• 1/2 a can of pumpkin puree (7.5 oz.) (213g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
• 1 cup fresh milled soft white wheat (130g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2.6g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (3g)

For the cream cheese frosting

• 3 oz. cream cheese (85g)
• 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened (28g)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (2g)
• 1 tablespoon milk (15g)
• Pinch of salt

Optional topping

• 1/4 cup caramel, for drizzling (about 80g)

A note on the grams: I weigh my fresh milled flour every time I bake because it’s the most accurate way to measure it, and I added gram measurements next to the rest of the ingredients too, in case you like to weigh out a whole recipe instead of measuring by cups and spoons.

How to Make Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bars

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until combined.
3. Add the melted lard (or oil), pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the fresh milled soft white wheat, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared 8×8 pan and spread it into an even layer.
6. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before frosting.

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and a pinch of salt, and beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
3. Once the bars have cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the top.
4. If using, drizzle the caramel over the frosted bars right before serving.
5. Slice into 12 bars and enjoy.

Tips for the Best Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bars

• Let the bars cool completely before frosting – Frosting warm bars will melt the cream cheese frosting right off. I know it’s tempting to rush this step, but it’s worth the wait.
• Room temperature eggs matter – They incorporate more evenly into the batter than cold eggs straight from the fridge, so pull them out ahead of time if you can.
• Soft white wheat is key for texture – Hard wheat works for chewier bakes like bread or pizza dough, but soft white wheat is what gives these bars their tender, cake-like crumb.
• Don’t overmix the batter – Stir just until the flour disappears. Overmixing can make the bars dense instead of soft.
• Make it ahead – These bars actually taste great the next day once the flavors have had time to settle. Bake them a day before you need them if you’re planning for a gathering.

How to Store Leftovers

Counter: Un-iced bars can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Refrigerator: Once frosted, store the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, since the cream cheese frosting needs to stay cold.

Freezer: Freeze un-iced bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then frost before serving. I don’t recommend freezing them already frosted, the texture of the frosting changes once thawed.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Einkorn Pumpkin Roll From Scratch
• The Best Einkorn Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• The Best Einkorn Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
• The Best Einkorn Pumpkin Cookies