Pumpkin Pie Bars

Pumpkin Pie – but easier to eat, and honestly …and I don’t want to start an argument – dare I say even better!?

Crunchy bottom crust. Perfectly lightly sweet, spiced, and with all the crumbs!

Ingredients/Directions

Crust/Crumble Topping

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups pumpkin purée
• ⅓ cup evaporated milk OR half and half

Instructions

Crust/Crumble Topping

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
• Mix together flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and sugars. Mix well. Combine melted butter and vanilla. Add to mixture, then stir with a spoon until mixture is moist and small clumps form.
• Gently press HALF of the mixture into prepared baking dish and bake at 350° F 15 minutes. Set aside remaining crumble mixture while the crust bakes and you prepare the filling.

Pumpkin Filling

• Whisk together filling sugars, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and stir until blended. Mix in pumpkin, then evaporated milk.
• Pour mixture over baked crust (it’s okay if it is still warm). Return to oven to bake 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, remove bars from oven and sprinkle remaining oat crumble mixture over top. Break any big crumbles into smaller pieces.
• Return the bars to oven to bake about 20 minutes longer. Bars are finished when the crumble top is golden and center only jiggles slightly. Allow to cool 1 hour at room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator to cool 1 hour longer. Once totally cool, cut into squares. Store in the fridge.