Pumpkin Pecan Pie Bars – My Baking Dependancy

Pumpkin pecan pie bars are made with a do-it-yourself sugar-cookie crust, pumpkin filling and a pecan streusel topping for one incredible Thanksgiving dessert. Recipe features a gluten-free possibility.

If there’s one factor we love about Thanksgiving, it’s the entire desserts.

In our household, we prefer to have a mixture of some conventional pies, reminiscent of traditional pecan pie, and less-traditional favorites, reminiscent of pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin cream cheese pie. 

This recipe for pumpkin pecan pie bars is one which comes from my buddy Erin over at Texanerin Baking. She shared the recipe with us a number of years in the past and I used to be not too long ago reminded at how a lot I really like these bars.

I imply, combining two traditional Thanksgiving pies into one scrumptious bar dessert? That’s a tough combo to beat.

Fuss-free pumpkin pecan pie bars

I’ve been wanting to mix pumpkin and pecan pie for some time now. A mix of the 2 simply sounded extra scrumptious than a daily pumpkin or pecan pie!

I initially wished to make a pumpkin pecan pie, however the filling plus topping was just a bit bit an excessive amount of for a pie dish. Then I went with mini pies, and although tremendous cute, they took eternally to organize and type of caught to the muffin liners. 

So right here now we have the best and least fussy model – pumpkin pecan pie bars!

My favourite a part of these bars is the crust. I’ve by no means been a giant fan of crust (until we’re speaking chocolate cookie crust, like in these mini pumpkin cheesecakes!) however this isn’t your strange crust.

There’s half a cup of sugar in there, making this extra of a sugar cookie-like crust. And it’s superior.

You probably have any gluten-free members of the family, this can be a nice deal with which you can simply make gluten-free. I like to make use of the Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour – it’s a simple sub for all-purpose flour

That’s all that you must make this recipe gluten-free! And actually, it’s simply as scrumptious because the all-purpose flour model. You probably have that flour, then you may as well make my pumpkin cupcakes, that are actually the perfect pumpkin cupcakes I’ve ever had!

The way to make these pumpkin pecan pie bars

Despite the fact that this recipe has 3 parts to make – the crust, the pumpkin pie filling, and the pecan topping – don’t stress. These bars are literally fairly simple to make! 

Components you’ll want

As a substitute of a standard pie crust, we’re going to make a sugar-cookie-like crust for these bars. You’ll want:

• ½ cup room-temperature unsalted butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon nice sea salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking combine for a gluten-free model

Make certain your butter is softened earlier than you combine the crust collectively. When you overlook to set it out forward of time, take a look at my ideas for softening butter shortly. 

Subsequent, we’ll make the pumpkin pie filling. For that, you will want:

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup calmly packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon nice sea salt
• 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 2 giant room-temperature eggs

When shopping for your pumpkin, be sure you seize pumpkin puree and never pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has additional substances that may throw off the ratio for this recipe.

I really like including some brown sugar to this filling. If you’re out of brown sugar, you may make a fast brown sugar substitute to make use of as an alternative. 

Evaporated milk is available in 2 sizes: 5-ounce and 12-ounce cans. This recipe makes use of the smaller can dimension, so make it possible for’s what you’re grabbing on the retailer.

Lastly, we’ll combine collectively a easy pumpkin streusel for the pecan topping. That can want:

• ½ cup calmly packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour, or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking combine for a gluten-free model
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nice sea salt
• ¼ cup room-temperature unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

I like to make use of cinnamon for the pecan topping, however you can additionally use pumpkin pie spice if you wish to convey these ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove flavors via the complete dessert.

Making this recipe

Begin by making the sugar-cookie crust. Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar collectively till mild and fluffy. It will take about 3-5 minutes. 

Add the vanilla, salt, and flour and blend on low till mixed and crumbly.

Press the crust dough right into a parchment-lined 8×8-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 15-17 minutes, simply till the crust begins to brown across the edges.

Set the crust apart to chill for about quarter-hour whilst you put together the pumpkin and pecan parts.

For the pumpkin pie filling, whisk collectively the entire substances apart from the eggs. As soon as the combination is properly mixed, add the eggs and whisk till included. Set this apart.

For the pecan topping, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Use your fingertips to combine the softened butter in, then stir within the pecans.

Pour the pumpkin filling evenly over the crust, then sprinkle the pecan streusel on high. 

Bake the pumpkin pecan pie bars for 40 minutes. The topping must be crisp and the center must be set.

Let the bars cool fully earlier than reducing and having fun with with a dollop of do-it-yourself whipped cream. 

Steadily requested questions