Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars (Print Page)
Buttery crust topped with velvety pumpkin maple filling and brown sugar streusel. An easy autumn dessert.
# What You Need:
→ Crust
01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Filling
05 - 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
06 - 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
07 - 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
10 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Streusel Topping
12 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
13 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
14 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
15 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on sides for easy removal.
02 - Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
03 - Bake crust for 10 minutes until lightly set. Remove from oven and set aside.
04 - Whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt until completely smooth and well combined.
05 - Pour pumpkin filling evenly over the pre-baked crust. Gently spread with a spatula to create a uniform layer.
06 - Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a small bowl until crumbly mixture forms.
07 - Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set and topping is golden brown.
08 - Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift bars out using parchment paper overhang and cut into 16 squares.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Everything comes together in under an hour with pantry staples you probably already have
- The combination of maple and brown sugar creates these incredible caramel notes that make people instantly ask for the recipe
02 -
- These absolutely must cool completely before you try cutting them or the filling will ooze everywhere
- The streusel might look like too much when you're sprinkling it but trust the process it settles perfectly
03 -
- Room temperature eggs incorporate much more smoothly into the filling preventing any streakiness
- Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the whole batch out at once for cleaner cuts