M&M Hit The Road

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Posted on by Maureen

I’ve had pumpkin on the brain for a while now, dating to our hot summer.  I guess it’s my way of dreaming of cooler temperatures and flannel.

I had shoulder surgery earlier this year and the recovery was much harder than my previous one ten years ago.  I joke that I have a matched set now.  Playing in the kitchen took a back seat for far too long.  Mark was a whiz in the kitchen while I became chief table setter and light item carrier.

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest, saving items and making them over and over in my head.  I kept coming back to these bars, telling myself they’d be perfect for our Thanksgiving in the Dirt or any camping trip for that matter.

Full clearance for my shoulder came during a stretch of record-breaking heat.  I decided to use the oven anyway.  I’d already waited months, using the oven early one day wouldn’t heat the house too much.

This was the perfect first venture with my fully healed shoulder.

Start by lining a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with cooking spray.  This will help when it’s cutting time.  I cut two piece of parchment paper and lay one sheet one way in the pan and the other sheet across the other way.  My not to secret hack is to use binder clips to hold the paper in place.  Be sure to remove them before baking, no melted binder clips are allowed in this dessert.

Start by making the crumble.  Add flour, brown sugar, sugar, butter and oats to a good-sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Cut together with a pastry cutter or two knives.  You can also mash it all together with your hands until it’s crumbly like coarse crumbs then stir in chopped pecans.

Save a cup and press the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake it at 350° for 15 minutes.

While that cooks, let’s make the filling.  Mix the cream cheese, pumpkin, eggs, sugar and pumpkin spice on medium speed until well blended.  It smells like pumpkin pie; oh, I love that smell.

Pour the pumpkin mixture over the baked crumble base.  Breakup the reserved cup of crumble mixture over the pumpkin, pressing down very lightly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges look done and the center is slightly jiggly.  Cover and refrigerate three hours before cutting and devouring.

I took them to PT so I didn’t eat the entire pan.  Now that I’m cleared and back in the kitchen, I take a lot of stuff to PT.

I can’t wait to make this again for Thanksgiving, or maybe just a Thursday when it’s not 100 degrees outside.

click to print

Pumpkin Pie Bars

adapted from Together as a Family
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 12 Tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), cubed
  • 1 cup quick cut oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1.  Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper or foil then lightly spray with cooking spray. Secure parchment paper with binder clips.
2.  Mix flour, brown sugar, and sugar, oats and pecans in a large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry cutter, two knives or your hands hands, until mixture resembles crumbly like coarse crumbs.
3.  Set aside one cup of crumble mixture. Press the rest in the bottom of the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
4.  While the crust is cooking, make cheesecake filling. Add the cream cheese, pumpkin, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium speed until well blended. Pour over the cooked crust and sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Press down lightly.
5.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges look done and the center is slightly jiggly.
6.  Let cool for 1 hour in the pan. Cover and let it refrigerate for 3 hours. Once done, lift bars out of the pan and cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

 

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