Swirled Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

Preparation

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth.
Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended.
Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan.
In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.
Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter.
Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.
Bake in a 350\u00b0 oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes.
Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.