Cheesecake Pumpkin Bars

Don't panic if you've never baked a cheesecake before. These bars are wayyyy easier. Below are some tips for perfect results, every time. 

1. Get the cream cheese melty. It doesn't need to be a pourable liquid, but it should be loose enough to swirl with the pumpkin batter; it should take no more than 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave. 

2. Use the right amount of pumpkin puree. Our first version of this recipe used an entire can of pumpkin puree, because who wants leftover canned pumpkin to sit forever in the fridge? That was a mistake: it yielded gummy bars that were too dense due to the high moisture content of pumpkin. We've reworked the recipe to include only 1 cup of puree—and the result is perfectly blondie-esque in texture. Worried about wasting that leftover pumpkin? We've got you covered with this pumpkin cheesecake roll recipe.

3. Use the right kind of salt. We call for kosher salt in all of our recipes, and it's an especially important ingredient for this recipe. Kosher salt is a larger, flakier granule than normal table salt, so 1 teaspoon of kosher salt is far less salty than 1 teaspoon of table salt. To avoid an overly salted pumpkin bar, we recommend using Morton or Diamond kosher salt!

4. Don't overmix. Pumpkin desserts tend to be cakey, which is not a quality we want in these blondie-ish cheesecake squares. Don't use a hand mixer, a whisk is all you need—it'll ensure that you don't incorporate too much air into the dough. 

5. The toothpick test should yield a few moist crumbs. It's been in the oven too long if your toothpick comes out clean. Think of these as similar to brownies. A few crumbs = moist, fudgy bars.