- September 22, 2023
- Desserts
Pumpkin Butter Bars Recipe
These Pumpkin Butter Bars are a delightful fall treat that combines the warm, comforting flavors of pumpkin and spices with a buttery, crumbly shortbread style crust. With a creamy pumpkin butter filling and a hint of cinnamon, they make for the perfect dessert or snack to savor during the autumn season.
Why This Recipe Works:
Fall Favorite: This pumpkin butter bars recipe is the ultimate fall treat! It has everything that I love about fall in one dessert bar. The bottom crust is a buttery shortbread cookie crust, then there is a layer of homemade maple pumpkin butter, and it is topped off with a pumpkin spice crumble topping that is full of warm flavors that seriously melts in your mouth. For an extra sweet treat, drizzle with a simple homemade icing!
Perfect For Sharing: Pumpkin butter bars are perfect to make for Halloween and fall get togethers. You can cut them into different sizes to make sharing easier, or double the recipe and make even more! If you don’t want to share, we totally understand. These might just disappear too quickly to even get the chance to share!
Supplies Needed:
- Mixing Bowls
- Pastry Cutter or Fork
- Square Baking Pan
Ingredients:
Crust and Filling:
- Flour: All-purpose flour works well for this recipe. For gluten-free pumpkin butter bars, use a 1 to 1 replacement flour.
- Sugar: To sweeten the bars!
- Salt: For balance of flavor.
- Cold Butter: Cold butter makes this crust into a buttery shortbread crust.
- Pumpkin Butter: Make pumpkin butter at home or buy some at the store!
Topping:
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Oats are the base of the top layer of these bars!
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or a gluten-free replacement flour!
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar goes well with the earthy pumpkin flavor of the pumpkin butter and the warm spices in the pumpkin pie spice!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin pie spice has the perfect combination of spices!
- Cold Butter: Cold butter is important because it will melt in the oven and create a crumbly, flaky streusel topping. If you use warm or room temperature butter, the topping won’t be crumbly!
- Icing: If you want a drizzle of icing for extra sweetness, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk!
Baking Instructions:
Crust and Filling:
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 9×9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhand on two opposite sides for easy removal.
- Make Crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press It Into Pan: Press the shortbread mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use the back of a spatula to compact it.
- Add Pumpkin Butter: Pour the pumpkin batter over the prepared shortbread crust and spread it out into an even layer.
Topping (and Icing):
- Make Crumble Topping: In another bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to incorporate it until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Top Pumpkin Butter Layer: Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the pumpkin butter layer, covering it completely.
- Bake: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are slightly bubbly.
- Remove & Slice: Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars our of the pan. Place them on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice into squares or bars.
- Drizzle with Icing: Mix the icing ingredients together into a bowl and place into a piping bag or plastic bag. Pipe a zig zag across the top of each individual bar and let it set. Serve and Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
This pumpkin butter bars recipe is not the same as pumpkin pie bars! Pumpkin pie bars usually use more pumpkin filling with a thin layer of pie crust on the bottom. These pumpkin bars have a shortbread crust, a thin layer of pumpkin butter, and a crumbly streusel topping that adds extra texture and flavor!
If you have leftover pumpkin butter, you can use use it as a dip with fruits or bread. Or, you can make even more pumpkin recipes like Chocolate Pumpkin Butter Brownies or Pumpkin Butter Palmiers!
Store any leftover pumpkin bars at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days!
More Recipes To Try:
Pumpkin Butter Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1.5 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 12 tbsp. Cold Butter
Filling
- 1.5 cups Pumpkin Butter homemade or store bought
Topping
- 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 8 tbsp. Cold Butter
Optional Icing
- 1 cup Powder Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
- 2-3 tbsp. Milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides for easy removal.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press the shortbread mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use the back of a spatula to compact it.
- Pour the pumpkin butter over the prepared shortbread crust and spread it out into an even layer.
- In another bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to incorporate it until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the pumpkin butter layer, covering it completely.
- Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are slightly bubbly.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the pan.Place them on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice into squares or bars.
- Mix the icing ingredients together into a bowl and place into a piping bag or plastic bag. Pipe a zig zag across the top of each individual bar and let it set. Serve and enjoy!