Pumpkin Pie Bars

Last week the BYO girls had their October dinner with a fall theme. Everything was delicious; mulled wine, baked brie with an apple topping, butter squash lasagna, a big salad with candied almonds and apples, and my contribution - pumpkin pie bars. I apologize for the lack of pictures, it was such a nice night to catch up that I didn't get much else done. Here are some shots of the dessert.

It took less than 10 minutes to blend the ingredients together

Finished product, piping hot and no mess!

Piled high on a tiny halloween plate ready to be paired with some wine

Where did I get my recipe? A cooking blog of course! I got emails from the girls the next day about enjoying a bar with their morning coffee. Do yourself a favor and pick up some butterscotch chips the next time you're in the bakery aisle and whip up a batch of these! Bon Appetit!


Pumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredientses: (I can't be the only NJ Housewives lover)
For the crust and topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Butterscotch chips, for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan.  Lightly grease the foil.  Combine the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and toss with a fork.  Add the pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside.  Add the remaining crust mixture to the prepared baking pan and press onto the bottom of the pan in an even layer.  Bake the crust alone in the oven for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, prepare the filling.

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.

Once the crust has been removed from the oven, pour the filling into the pan and smooth over the crust. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture and butterscotch chips, as desired.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!

From Annie's Eats