These Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars are the perfect mix of a buttery shortbread crust on the bottom and a soft, perfectly spiced pumpkin middle. Topped with brown sugar and toasted pecans, these bars will give you all the cozy fall feels. These are simple to put together and perfect for dessert or as a sweet treat!
I love the smell in my house while baking these Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars almost as much as I love eating them when they are cooled. If the scent of these guys baking doesn't make you feel like you should be sitting down to a turkey dinner soon, then the taste will definitely take you there! Serve these guys after dinner with a cup of coffee or as a snack anytime of the day. Or if you are a morning sweets fan, these are great with coffee in the morning too! They can be enjoyed anytime of the day, really!
I made no less than five pans of these while trying to get the perfect combination of flavors and textures going on. We have pumpkin pie bars in the freezer for days and I'm afraid we might be pumpkined out before the end of the season...if that's possible! I can't decide which layer of these bars I like the most. Between the buttery crust, the spiced pumpkin center or the caramel pecan top, all three layers are just so good! While these are great during the fall, I have found that they are just as delicious at any time of the year!
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Ingredients Needed for Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Flour: You will use all-purpose flour for this.
- Brown Sugar: For this recipe you can use light brown sugar.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is best when baking so you have control over the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin: Canned pure pumpkin is what you will use for this recipe, not pumpkin pie mix!
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Eggs
- Allspice
- Salt
- Pecans: Whole or chopped pecans are fine for this recipe. If you have whole pecans, you can coarsely chop them before or after toasting them.
How to Make Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars
To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F. You will also want to prepare a 9x13-inch cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
Toast the Pecans
In a small saucepan, add the pecans and heat on medium heat. Toss or stir pecans occasionally until they are toasted. You can tell they are toasted when they are lightly browned and beginning to smell fragrant. Once toasted, set them aside to cool.
Prepare the Crust
In the bowl of your mixer, add the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is crumbly. Dump flour mixture into your 9x13-inch cake pan. I also like to use parchment paper in the bottom and up the sides so I can easily pull the bars out to cut them. This is not necessary because you can cut the bars while they are in the pan. Using your fingers or the flat side of a measuring cup, press down mixture into an even layer. Set this aside.
Prepare the Pumpkin Layer
Wipe out the bowl of your mixer and your beater attachment with a paper towel. There shouldn't be much stuck on after mixing the flour mixture but you should wipe out any residual crumbles. Once your bowl is wiped clean, add the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Carefully pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared cake pan with the pressed flour mixture in it. Place pan in the 350°F oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Pecan Layer
In a medium bowl, add the toasted pecans, brown sugar and butter. Stir well to ensure the pecans are nicely coated with the butter and brown sugar. After the bars have cooked for 30 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and sprinkle the prepared pecan mixture in an even layer on the top. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to cook for 40 more minutes or until the center is set and lightly browning around the edges. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
FAQ
- How should these bars be stored if they aren't eaten right away? Store cooled bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I have found that they will keep for about 4 days before they get a bit gooey. Leftover bars can also be frozen in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before eating!
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Recipe
Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Pecan Topping:
- 1 cup pecans, toasted
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Pumpkin Layer:
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9x13-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
For the Pecan Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the toasted pecans, brown sugar and butter. Stir to combine, making sure pecans are well coated with butter and brown sugar. Set aside.1 cup pecans, toasted, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the Crust:
- In the bowl of your mixer, add flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Mix at medium speed until thoroughly combined and crumbly.2 cups flour, ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 cups packed brown sugar
- Dump flour mixture into prepared cake pan. Using your fingers or the flat side of a measuring cup, press flour mixture into the bottom of the cake pan in an even layer. Set aside.
For the Pumpkin Layer:
- Using a paper towel, wipe the bowl and beater attachment clean.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Beat at medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, scraping sides with rubber spatula if needed.1 15-ounce can pumpkin, 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour pumpkin mixture on top of pressed flour mixture in prepared cake pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove pan from the oven. Sprinkle pecan mixture in an even layer on the top. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for additional 40 minutes or until set and edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into 16 bars.
Stephen Agnew
I like it yummy delicious desserts heaven
Robyn Floyd
Substituted black walnuts for the pecans that I accidently burned in the stovetop while roasting them. Yummy either way.
Jean Davis
Delicious
Randy
I made this and the crust seems very hard. is this normal?
Ashlyn Meredith
Hi, Randy. I've noticed that the crust gets harder if I over bake the bars or if they are not at room temperature. The texture of the crust is supposed to be crunchy like a cookie though.