
Pumpkin Pie Bars with Flourless Crust
Guys, bars are the new pies for Thanksgiving! I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a sheet pan of your favourite pie flavour saves on baking time. Obviously, we had to take the time-saving thing one step further because, if you’re a mom, you need as many shortcuts as you can find. So these dreamy pumpkin bars also cut down on prep time since they use a flourless crust. Similar to the ease of a graham cracker crust, this baked bottom is a mix of pumpkin seeds and pecans. WAIT! Don’t toss this recipe aside because you heard no traditional crust. This crust is actually a better pairing for the creamy and warmly spiced pumpkin topping since it still delivers buttery goodness but also has a rich and sweet nuttiness.

Pumpkin Pie Bars with Flourless Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch ground clove
- 1 cup whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment leaving a 2 inch border of overhang on the sides so you can remove the bars easily. Set aside.
- In your food processor, add the pumpkin seeds, pecans, cornstarch, brown sugar and salt. Process until you have a fine crumb. Press into your sheet pan and up the edges in an even layer, use the bottom of a glass to help you press into the sides. Bake in the oven for 8 -10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, cream, milk, corn starch, extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, clove and beat with a hand mixer until blended and smooth. Pour into warm crust.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until center is no longer loose. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Using the parchment overhang, lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares. Top each bar with a dollop of whipped cream and serve chilled.

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1 Comment
Books_and_baking
October 09, 14:42I think you forgot to mention the step in which the butter should be added. I assumed, based on your reference to a buttery crust, it should be added to the crumb post-food processor, pre-pressing it into the pan. That seemed to work well. I found the crust needed some extra time pre-baking before the puree layer went on, my first batch it crumbled and didn’t hold together. Thanks for the recipe! The flavour is great.