Pumpkin is upon us.
It’s a fact friends. Deal with it.
I went a little pumpkin crazy at the store this week. Something comes over me when the seasons change. Because I live in a city where the weather insists on staying virtually the same temperature all year round, and the palm trees know nothing of seasonal changes, I feel like I’m forced to express the change of season in very outward, often very expensive ways.
When early October hits, and the hint of a cool night beckons me to turn my bedroom fan off, inevitably, the next day I’m out shopping for scarves, tights, knee high boots, and yes….. pumpkin.
We had a chilly night this past weekend (I’m talking low 60’s) which prompted me to take out my winter coat (yes I have one, and it’s fantastic). This also prompted me to go on a pumpkin bender at the grocery store.
I’m giving you the heads up. It’s pumpkin time people. Are you with me?
Consider this pumpkin recipe as your Fall lemon bar. Think of this pumpkin recipe as reason not to have to roll out a pie crust. Think of this pumpkin recipe when you want a nip from the Bourbon bottle while you’re baking. Is that a crime? I think not.
Pumpkin Pie Bars
adapted from Kraft
HEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil. Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.
RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips (if desired).
BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.
Sara
Hi! Is it just me or is anyone else totally confused by the directions of this recipe? Someone please help clarify…. at the step where I “mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar,” do I only mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4c granulated sugar, and 1/4c brown sugar? What about the rest of the flour? Do you not mix the entire 1 and 1/3 cup of flour at that point?
Also, are we not suppose to mix in the 1 cup of oats and 1/2 cup of walnuts in at that point as well? I am confused by the “Reserve 1 cup oat mixture: press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan”… is that a separate cup of oats? Please help! I am making this recipe this Sunday… Thanks so much!!
Serena
Sara, the instructions are clear if you read them carefully enough.
You mix all of the flour, 1/4 of the granulated sugar (it says *divided* in the ingredient list…) and all of the brown sugar. It says shortly after that you add the oats and walnuts to that mixture. You would then reserve 1 cup of the resulting mixture, or the “oat mixture.”
Hope I helped. :)
cara
finding this recipe is stressing me out because i can’t decide whether to make it for a fall birthday celebration tomorrow, or (cdn) thanksgiving next weekend. judging by all the comments i’ll be making it twice.
Sonia
Biggest. Hit. Ever. Thanks Joy.
Angie
Make These. Now.
Meagan C
I love these! Just made them tonight. I did use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese but you can’t tell. They are delicious!
Eydie E.
I’m making these for Thanksgiving! Is it okay to make them the day before? Or, will
the crust get to mushy?
Rebecca R.
I am making these delicious looking treats for my family’s Thanksgiving feast this year! I hope I don’t eat all of them before I get them to my uncle’s house! :)
Amy I.
Joy, made these tonight, they’re absolutely delightful. Thanks for always brightening my days!
rmrich
I love pumpkin and (being from Kentucky) bourbon is pretty much at staple around my house. Can’t wait to make these!
Amy's Cooking Adventures
Yum! I can’t wait to try these! They look fantastic!
Jaime
Thank you for this post. I got this recipe off Annies website who referenced you and I made these yesterday and they were a HUGE hit, there wasn’t any left! SOOO Yummy!
Holly S
Is it possible to make the crust and topping without nuts due to allergies?
joythebaker
i’d have to rebake these to make this substitution…. i can’t tell you off the top of my head.
Amanda S
I just discovered your blog, Love it and you made my weekend baking! I wasn’t sure what i was going to do with my left over pumpkin from my pumpkin granola but now pumpkin pie bars have come into my life…Thank you!
Sarah
Made these over the weekend and am being over-analytical and crazy but the bottom layer’s got too much going on for the silky, creamy, pumpkin dopeness that is the filling. Walnuts give an interesting taste, the oats another element to the already crunchy texture, and is butter not awesome on its own? Playing with it… love the concept. You’re the coolest, more videos please. Yours in pumpkin, I-definitely-ate-half-the-pan-“analyzing”
Elisabeth
WOW, I just made these and they are amazing! Thanks for sharing!
teresacooks
I made these for a boy scout pumpkin fest bake sale – my kids were extremely annoyed after tasting one that I was taking all the rest away. Great recipe.
LALA
Hello, Joy.
I have a quick question. Can you make this recipe with a real pumpkin instead of a canned pumpkin?
Where in your website can I get a recipe for pumpkin empanadas?
Please let me know.
Thanks in advance,
LALA
alicia
just wanted you to know i made these but i added white chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips in addition to the butterscotch chips. result? amazing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliciagriffin/4057006817/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliciagriffin/4057746672/
Lucylew
I have a batch of these in the oven right now. I made them a few weeks ago for the first time – I think I am in love.
I brought in some to my office and one of the guys asked for the receipe. He said he wanted these for Thanksgiving instead of his wife’s boring pumpkin pie.
Never underestimate the power of pumpkin and butterscotch!
Teresa H
Oh wow! I love pumpkin desserts and this looks so fantastic! I can’t wait to try them.
Jessica Farmer
Totally delish. I omitted the nuts (son with a nut allergy) and the booze and it was still really great. I loved the butterscotch/pumpkin combination. I did have a little trouble with the cream cheese though. I couldn’t get it to really mix completely with the pumpkin. I think next time I will cream it with the sugar really well before adding the eggs and pumpkin. Thanks for another great recipe!
TB
made this yesterday for a autumn themed happy hour and it was a HUGE hit — a few notes for others who are going to make it:
MAKE SURE CREAM CHEESE IS TRULY SOFTENED
also, when you say “Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar” i was a little unclear as to whether you meant 1/4 c. each or 1/4th the quantity of the total mixtures of sugar. i did 1/4c. each and it turned out great
Sandra
Hey Joy,
This recipe is awesome – I made them last night and had rave reviews! Thanks for this recipe and all the other awesome recipes. I have been in a total pumpkin mood ever since October hit.
Amy
I want to print all of these, but the links don’t work for me, I get a Google page that’s called “Server Error”: It says: Sorry, you’ve reached a login page for a domain that isn’t using Google Apps. Please check the web address and try again. I don’t know what this means, is there another way to use your Print Recipe links? Help!
Abby
These look pumpkin-tastic! I Think I will make a bunch for an upcoming roadtrip to Syracuse, NY. Munching them should pass the time nicely and the pumpkin a spices will accent the lovely fall foliage. Too bad we will be leaving here at 7p and arrving in syrace at 2a. Guess I’ll be imaging the beautiful foliage with every bite :o)
erinna
i like to try many of your recipe!! but, can you help me to make bar such as ‘musli’??
Mallory
These are in my oven right now because I wanted a little bit of fall…also, they’re my dad’s birthday gift. Can’t wait to try them. Hopefully I don’t eat them all before tomorrow!
joythebaker
Kim- Use all-purpose flour.
Susan- Sorry for the confusion. For the crust, use 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar. Then use the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar for the mixture. Happy Baking!
Susan
I’m about to make these but realized I’m confused by the instructions for the crust:
“…1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar…”
Is this a quarter of the (3/4 c) granulated sugar and a quarter of the (1/2 c) brown sugar, or a quarter of the granualted sugar and all the brown sugar, or a 1/4 cup of each? or?
Thanks!
Jacquie
I made these for Thanksgiving….they were SOOOO good! Yum!!
Kim
What kind of flour do I use?
Mz Kate
So lovely!!! A wonderful hit at our Thanksgiving. But why use canned pumpkin when it’s so easy to prepare winter squash? Buy a fabulous and fun, firm-fleshed winter squash like a hubbard or buttercup, set it on the counter, and KABAAM it once through the midpoint with your biggest knife. Then pick up the knife and the squash at the same time (it won’t go through the first time) and KABAAM it some more on the counter until the knife goes through. This is fun. Next remove seeds, rub with oil, set face down on a baking sheet you’ve rubbed with a little oil, and then bake at 350 until easily pierced with a table knife (about 45 minutes). Then turn the heat off in the oven and let the squash sit there until you’ve forgotten and remembered it… Scoop out and ready to go.
Amber
Hi Joy, I am making these in the morning to take to the hotel to share with my sisters. We fly out early Saturday morning from SFO to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for a week. I posted for 4 pm and linked to you.
susan
Oh Yum!
Sassy
These look amazing. I’m going to make them…maybe Fri.
Phil E. Drifter
How do i get in touch with the beautiful woman in the upper right corner of this page?
My First Kitchen
There you go again with the pumpkin and butterscotch! Looks so yummy. And I’m jealous of your weather. It’s rainy and 50 degrees right now. Gloomy, but at least I get to turn on the fire. Yes, turn it on. I’m lazy. No real fire wood for me.
the happy gentleman
These look great and I love pumpkin!
Diane
That looks utterly delicious! I might be tempted to give it a go!
Kat
Oh my goodness. I made these for the first time on Saturday night, and everyone in my family (including my parents, who are doing a low-carb thing but sacrificed their diet to try a bar) loved them! I substituted brandy for the bourbon, simply because we don’t keep bourbon in the house, and Heath brand chocolate/toffee chips for the butterscotch chips, and it was delicious.
These will definitely be repeated over and over again. Thank you for this recipe!
Bunny got Blog
I love pumpkin and I am always looking for new recipes to try. I will try this soon.
Fruit Salad Recipes
My kids hate butterscotch chips :(
Corrina
I made these for about 100 people at a church function. They were easy and delicious! I had many requests for the recipe. Since it was church I doubled the vanilla and skipped the bourbon. If you like pumpkin, make these today. They are that good!
Megan
These look delicious and I love the butterscotch chips!
Kandi
I made these bars this last weekend for a party on SUnday. They were a total hit. Every last one of them gone. And the taste testing guys in the house loved them too. I will make these again. Thank you very much for sharing these.
yvette
The picture made me want to lick my screen, so instead, I made these for a Halloween party yesterday. Of course, leftovers are the best, cold pumpking pie from the fridge.
I used roasted almonds instead of walnuts and I’m a purist, so I like it better without the chocolate on top. My 4 year old son on the other hand, ate just the chocolate chips then gave me his pumpkin bar, so we make a good pair.
Kiersten
Wow, these sound delicious. I have a feeling if I made these, the whole pan would be gone by the end of the day.
erin
Made these for my ladies night out-they were a hit along with your pumpkin cookies. Thank you for sharing-pumpkin will always get my vote. Maybe McCain and Obama should campaign with pumpkin recipes…
Kelly
These look so good. I’ve also been in a pumpkin mood lately. Can’t wait to try these out.
Melanie
I made these bars today. My oven took a little longer to bake- about 33 minutes until they were done. I used pecans instead of walnuts. I used a few to top the bars as well. Instead of burbon I used 2 tsp of maple extract, delicious :-)
kimberleyblue
Yum! I’m getting a little tired of all the typical pumpkin recipes floating around, but these sound a little different and super delicious.
Alison
I think you read my mind. I was in need of a pumpkin bar recipe and now I am looking at one that makes my mouth water. I can’t wait to make this…THANKS
Michael
Wow, these look tasty! Just found your site, and I love it. I’ll trade places with you – it’s 33 degrees outside my house this morning. I’m so not ready for winter coats, but am loving the pumpkin (and maple!).
Amy (Sing for your supper)
These look great! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this…now I have it! I can’t wait to give these a try soon…very soon!!
Bobby
I’m with you. Getting ready start baking some pumpkin dishes myself. These pumpkin pie bars look fantastic, I gotta say, it looks like you pulled them off to perfection! Great photos as well.
Kevin
Those look so good! What an amazing pumpkin colour!
cassie
I love anything pumpkin flavored! YUM!
joythebaker
Kristi- These bars would totally be awesome with pecans instead of walnuts!
FRM- Be good!
Trixi- 15 ounces or just under 2 cups. Does that help?
Mike- Yes! Yes!! Anything with oats is automatically a breakfast food.
Heather- I’m glad you’re here!
Jerry- Thanks!
Jerry
Joy! As usual you amaze me!
Heather
I love pumpkin recipes! I love New England in October!
Did I mention I love Joy the Baker?
I have been addicted to your blog for the last 6 months
amazing food pics, delicious recipes, and funny funny, too!
These look too yummy not to make immediately,
or maybe tomorrow, but definitely soon!!!
Mike
That looks really awesome. I’ve never seen pumpkin bars done before, but I really like this. And I’m 100% with you on the seasons–it may still be in the 80s/90s here, but I’ll play pretend by overindulging in pumpkin and squash so that I can keep on the calendar with the rest of the world. And is it bad that I’d use the inclusion of oats as a justification to myself that this is breakfast food?
Trixi
Never seen canned pumpkin here in South Africa. How much fresh cooked pumpkin will i need?
Natty
If I didn’t have 12 dozen cupcakes to bake tomorrow, I would be making a batch of these… WANT.
Jenn's Baking Chamber
Yum! I love pumpkin in baking. It’s so nice to see other pumpkin recipes rather than pies! thanks for the yummy post, I can’t wait to try it!
FoodRockzMan
Can we see the knee high boots? And I’ll give you an emphatic yes . . . I’m with you . . . it’s pumpkin time!
marilyn
Woah. These are the perfect use for my can of pumpkin. Droooool.
Tiffany
these look great! i’ll have to try them in a couple weeks. we’ve had pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin muffins all week so we’re a bit pumpkin’d out :)
Dana
This is what I’ve been looking for! I knew I wanted to make something pumpkin for my clients next week and just couldn’t come up with anything that excited me. Thanks so much for the idea and the recipe!
Amanda
Oh, I love it. Pumpkin me up, girl. If I could dress up as a pumpkin for halloween, I totally would. I think that the worse part about California is that sometimes your season blend together, and then all of a sudden it’s winter.
Holly
I am so with you! Last Christmas I baked loaves of pumpkin bread as gifts and accidentally bought -way- more pumpkin than I needed. Bring on the pumpkin recipes!
Jaina
Those look delicious!
Lizzie
I am right there with you…I am craving everything and anything pumpkin related. Or squash related. Or apple cider related. Really anything that screams fall! Best season!
(And by the way, this looks beyond delicious!)
tara
oh my!! adding this to my delicious bookmarks immediately!!!
snooky doodle
yummy these look good, And its fall yeahhhhhhhh pumpkin :)
sara
Wow, someone just gave me a recipe for Pumpkin Brownies. I made a pumpkin cheesecake for work the other day. I am all pumpkin’d out!
But, you know I am going to try to make these haha
Katie
I love pumpkin and these look great!
Ingrid
Yay, bring on the pumpkin!!! I like pumpkin-y desserts better than I like apple filled ones.
Yum! Your photos are pumpkin-licious!!
~ingrid
peabody
Mmmm, I am more than happy that pumpkin time is upon us.
cyndi
Bring it on! I’m all about pumpkin these days and would love to add a few more recipes to my arsenal. This one looks divine!
Maria
I am into pumpkin these days! Your bars look like the cream of the crop!!
Audrey
Maybe it’s a regional thing -like pulling your WINTER coat when it’s in the 60s? :) – but I think one of the best things about canned pumpkin is that it’s often the least expensive seasonal baking ingredient there is. But please please I don’t think I’m making fun of you…if you did, you might stop sharing recipes like this, and all your others! (Thanks!)
Kristi
I’ve been on a pumpkin kick too. These look interesting. I wonder how they would work with pecans in the crust instead of walnuts..I have a lot of pecans I need to use up.
And thank you for at least including the “recipe” for pumpkin pie spice. I can’t stand it when a recipe calls for “pumpkin pie spice” or “apple pie spice”–I have 3 kinds of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, ginger, allspice, etc on hand for holiday baking, and I refuse to buy a blend when the standalones are so much more useful!
patsyk
Definitely marking these as a potential dessert to take for Thanksgiving… something that even the kids will enjoy!
QL girl
This recipe looks fabulous! I must try it this weekend!