Pecan Pumpkin Bars with Crumble Topping

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Move over pumpkin pie! Pecan pumpkin bars with a delicious crumble topping are a perfect holiday dessert!

You know, I got to thinking about pie recently, as one does around this time of year, and I realized, I’m not sure if I’m really a pie person.

Like, I like pie. But would I normally choose pie over other desserts? Probably not. Unless its a good apple crumb pie, or maybe a nice tart.

Or, is cheesecake considered a pie? If so, all bets are off.

But, banking on the theory that cheesecake is not, in fact, a pie- I would say I’m not really a pie person in general.

Just recently though, I started to think more about pie for a couple reasons.

1. Thanksgiving and various other holidays are coming up, and pie is a popular dish for those.
2. We just recently announced our new Cozy Mystery Cooking Club book for October, which features a pie baker.
3. I finally found canned pumpkin in my grocery store and that made me think of pumpkin pie.

Once I started thinking about pie, and in particular pumpkin pie, I decided to make pumpkin pie, but better.

So like, not a pie at all. But more…pumpkin pie inspired dessert bars.

Enter in these pecan pumpkin bars with a crumble topping!

Pecan Pumpkin Bars with Crumble Topping

I took a pumpkin pie like filling, and added some crumb! Because if you haven’t heard it from me before, I live for a crumb topping.

Crumb toppings give me life, they give dessert life, they make the world go round.

The crumb topping here also forms the base of these pecan pumpkin bars, to make it easy, so you don’t have to make a pie crust or anything like that!

They are pretty simple to make, and are perfect for pumpkin lovers who maybe aren’t huge pumpkin pie lovers. Even if you are a pumpkin pie lover, I know you’ll love these too!

And if you’re more of a cake person and less about pumpkin, my friend over at Real Life of Lulu has a great recipe for Old-Fashioned Pecan Cake Bars that are only 4 ingredients. Check those out too, because I know I am!

What Ingredients Do You Need for Pecan Pumpkin Bars?

You’ll need:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup oats
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ sticks of butter

15 oz. can pumpkin puree not pie filling!
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped pecans

What Equipment Do You Need for Pecan Pumpkin Bars?

• 9×9 baking pan
• parchment paper
• mixing bowls
• whisk
• fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers

No fancy equipment really required! When making the crumb topping, I like to use a pastry cutter to start working in the butter and then switch to my fingers.

But you can definitely use a fork or your fingers for the whole thing if you don’t have a pastry cutter!

I hope you make and enjoy these pecan pumpkin bars as much as we do here! If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them. You can also tag me on social media if you’d like to share a photo!

So, are you a pie person? What is your favorite pie? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Pecan Pumpkin Bars with Crumble Topping

Pecan Pumpkin Bars with Crumble Topping

Pumpkin pie in bar form! These bars have a pumpkin pie like filling, with a layer of pecans, between a crust and crumble topping.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep 25 minutes mins

Cook 45 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 9 bars

Ingredients

  

For the Base and Topping:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup oats
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ sticks of butter cold and cut into small cubes

For the filling:

• 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pie filling!
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the sides to help lift the bars out.
• Make the filling: beat together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside for now.
• Make the base and topping: Combine the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and sugars in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add the cold butter cubes to the bowl, and work them in using a fork, a pastry cutter, or your fingers until you have a crumbly texture roughly the size of sandy peas.
• Set aside about ⅓ third of this mixture. Then take the remaining two thirds and press them into the bottom of your pan, to form a flat and even crust. Pour the pumpkin mixture evenly over the crust in the pan. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly on top. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/3 crumb mixture over the top of that.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Cut into bars ( I do nine bars).
• Store leftover bars in a covered container in the fridge. You can warm them a few seconds in the microwave if you wish or eat them cold!

Keywords baked, dessert, easy, fall, holiday, party, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, snack

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  Easy White Chocolate Blackberry Jam Crumb Bars (small batch!)

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