Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice blend, cinnamon, and salt until everything is well mixed. Set the bowl aside until ready to combine with wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lightly beaten eggs, milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Make sure to mix thoroughly so that the liquids and pumpkin are fully blended.

Pour the wet ingredients from Step 2 into the bowl with the dry ingredients from Step 1. Mix just until combined—don't overmix, as that can make the bars dense. Pour the pumpkin mixture into a prepared 9x9-inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Bake in your preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pumpkin bars sit for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. I always wait until they’re fully cool before frosting to avoid a runny topping.

While the bars are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whip on high speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Add milk a teaspoon at a time, mixing between each addition, until you reach your desired consistency. For extra flavor, I sometimes swap in a bit of almond extract for the vanilla.

Once the pumpkin bars have cooled completely, evenly spread the cream cheese frosting made in Step 4 over the top. For a finishing touch, sprinkle a little extra pumpkin pie spice on top. Cut the bars into 16 pieces and enjoy! To make the bars slice more cleanly, I like to chill them for about 15 minutes after frosting.