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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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
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.