Pumpkin Blondies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

In a mixing bowl, beat egg, coconut oil, sugar, and molasses until smooth. Some granules of sugar will remain, and that is okay. Add pumpkin purée and vanilla and beat again until well-incorporated. Set aside.

Stir dry ingredients in a small bowl and then slowly add to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Mix until no clumps of flour remain, then cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line an 8×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. You can also use oil instead of parchment, but the bars will release from the pan easier with the parchment.

Remove dough from fridge and transfer to the lined loaf pan. Smooth the top of the dough with a spoon or rubber spatula, and then bake for 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick poked through the center comes out with just one or two crumbs sticking to it. The bars will continue to bake in the warm loaf pan even when removed from the oven. Set aside to cool completely before removing from the pan.

Prepare the maple cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and maple extract until smooth and airy. This should take about 4–5 minutes to reach the desired light consistency.

When bars have cooled completely, spread frosting over bars in a smooth and even layer. Create lush swirls by using the backside of a spoon. Slice bars into 8 even squares and garnish each with a sprinkle of crushed pumpkin seeds.

Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Note that after a couple days, the cream cheese frosting will begin to absorb slightly into the bars—this is okay but it will alter the texture of the frosting and the bars just a bit. Try to consume them quickly! It shouldn’t be too hard. Enjoy!