Pumpkin Pie Bars taste like pumpkin pie but are way easier to make! Topped with candied pecans for the most delicious flavor and made healthier with whole-wheat flour, a little less sugar and milk instead of cream.

It's fall which means it's time for all things pumpkin! Troy is a huge fan of pumpkin so I decided to make these Pumpkin Pie Bars. They are way more portable than traditional pumpkin pie because you can pick them up with your hands. They're quite simple to make and have a delicious homemade buttery crust, pumpkin pie layer and candied nuts on top for the most delicious flavor.

With the holidays coming up, these pumpkin pie bars would be amazing to serve at Thanksgiving. Since they are easier to eat than traditional pumpkin pie, they are great for a larger gathering where people can grab one and enjoy while moving around the party. You can also eat them on a plate of course as well.

I went with an 8 x 8 pan for the recipe so the bars turned out nice and thick! They taste indulgent but are on the lighter side for dessert with less sugar, fiber from the whole-wheat flour and because I used 2% milk instead of the typical sweetened condensed milk or half and half.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Bars

This recipe has a good amount of ingredients but most of them should be in your pantry and fridge already. You most likely won't have to buy too many new ingredients for this recipe.

White-whole wheat flour- for extra fiber
Brown sugar
Butter
Pumpkin puree- not pumpkin pie filling
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon
Salt
Milk- I used 2% but anything works. For a more indulgent recipe, use half and half
Vanilla
Pecans

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bars

I was honestly a little intimidated to make these bars because I don't like recipes that are too complicated and these are actually very easy to make!

First, line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil. You're going to want to leave some of the foil on the sides of the pan so you can easily remove the bars when they are finished cooling. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. Then mix together the ingredients for the crust and bake the crust.

Whisk together the ingredients for the pumpkin filling and bake. When it looks like your bars are almost done- the bars are mostly set all around the sides and just slightly jiggly right in the very center, use a Taylor thermometer to check the temperature to make sure it is right around 175 degrees. I love the Taylor thermometers because they work super fast, are waterproof and are digital. I've been using this brand for years and they work so well and are very affordable.

Once the pumpkin pie bars are done cooking, let them fully cool as they are a lot easier to cut once they're cool. Toast pecans in butter and brown sugar and once the bars are cool, pour them over the bars. Cut into squares to serve. These bars store well in the fridge for about 4 days.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Yield: 9 large bars or 12 smaller bars Author: Amanda Hernandez

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Total time: 60 minutes plus cool time

INGREDIENTS

Crust

1 cup white-whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pumpkin Filling

1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candied Pecan Layer

2/3 cup chopped pecans

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a medium sized baking dish like an 8x8 baking dish or 9x9 with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy removal at the end. Spray the paper with nonstick spray.
For the crust, mix together the flour, brown sugar and butter well in a bowl and press into the bottom of the pan. The mixture will be crumbly. Bake the crust for 10 minutes
Meanwhile, whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl for the filling well and pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the filling is mostly set but jiggles a bit in the center. Check that the internal temperature of the pie bars is at least 175 degrees with a Taylor Thermometer.
Remove the pie from the pan and let cool.
In a medium-sized skillet on medium heat, add in the pecans, brown sugar and butter and toast pecans for about 2 minutes until pecans are lightly toasted- watch carefully as they can burn easily.
Once pumpkin pie bars are cooled, pour the pecan mixture over the bars and cut into squares to serve.

**Stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

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