Pumpkin Pie Bars with Gingersnap Crust

Pumpkin pie is one of pumpkin’s best forms. It’s lightly sweet, has a great, soft texture, and a silkiness that leaves other pies shaking in their boots. However, making an entire pumpkin pie isn’t always reasonable. That’s what initially led me to create the recipe for my Paleo Mini Pumpkin Pies, and now, these pumpkin bars. These bars have the same silky, creamy texture of your favorite pumpkin pie, but with way less sugar and no milk/cream anywhere. The real star; however, is the incredible gingersnap crust.

Grab that box of gingersnaps you bought once upon a time and turn them into this killer gingersnap crust. Once baked together, you end up with a medley of fall flavors in every bite – the silky pumpkin pie meets the spiced, ginger warmth of the crust and it is sure to leave you wanting more.

Assembling the bars

To create these bars, first you’re going to create a simple crust. Crush your cookies, mix with brown sugar and butter, and pack into a 9×5 loaf pan that’s lined with parchment paper. You’re going to par-bake (partially bake the crust) for 7 minutes, meanwhile making your filling.

The filling is made primarily of pumpkin, which gets mixed with sugar, eggs, almond butter, vanilla, and my secret ingredient for paleo creaminess- Nutpods. Nutpods is a dairy-free, whole30 approved creamer that can do SO much more than lighten up your morning coffee. They come in an array of delicious flavors (pumpkin spice and marshmallow are my fave), and you can get 15% off with code FOODBYTHEGRAM.

Once your pie filling is all whipped together, pour it on top of the par-baked crust, and bake the entire thing for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. You’ll then want to let these cool and put them in the fridge- like regular pumpkin pie, these bars need to ‘firm up’ before you slice them or else they wont cut cleanly. They’re best made the night before or morning of, so they have ample time to firm up before cutting. Then, just slice em up and enjoy!

Small batch baking

Once of the issues I have with a lot of recipes I read online is that they assume you’re feeding a football team. In our household, it’s just me, my fiance, and our cat (who has no interest in my cooking), so I do a lot of small-batch baking. I also realize there are a lot of folks out there who are in a similar boat – maybe you live alone, or with a roommate, or you just don’t want a recipe for 10 – I got you. This recipe is baked in a 9×5 loaf pan, so it yield ~8-10 bars (depends how generous you’re feeling). They keep well in the fridge, so they’re perfect for a single household to enjoy. If you have a crowd, just double the recipe and bake in an 8×8 pan, just adjust the baking time a bit to compensate.

More Fall recipes

Love Fall flavor? Hey, me too! Check out some of my other seasonal recipes:

• Paleo Mini Pumpkin Pies
• Lighter Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
• Light Maple Walnut Biscotti
• Lighter Pumpkin Chocolate Scones
• Healthy Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
• Pumpkin Granola (Paleo, Vegan)
• Pumpkin Fluff Dip

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Jacklin Altman

These bars have a smooth, creamy pumpkin filling on a sweet, zingy gingersnap crust – a fall fave!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 9

Calories 143 kcal

Equipment

• 9×5 Loaf Pan
• Mixing Bowls
• Oven

Ingredients

  

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Base:

• 14 gingersnaps crushed (1 cup)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter melted

Filling:

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup pumpkin spice Nutpods
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• 3 tbsp almond butter melted

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Crush gingersnaps until very fine (a food processor works great here) and combine with melted butter and brown sugar
• Line 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and press crust into pan until you have a tightly packed, even layer
• Bake crust for 7 minutes
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla, Nutpods, almond butter, and pumpkin spice and stir together until fully incorporated and smooth.
• Pour over par-baked crust and bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool completely and chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftovers should keep well for up to 4 days.

Notes

Click here to calculate points in the WW app.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 76mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 7896IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg

Keyword pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice, pumpkin bars, fall, dessert, thanksgiving

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