Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars Recipe
I can’t think of a better combination than creamy pumpkin pie with cheesecake, can you? If you’re someone who likes their pumpkin pie cold, like my husband, you will definitely love this dessert mash-up. My next kitchen project is swirling a little cheesecake batter into my mini pumpkin pies for a similar effect, but a smaller serving size! This recipe for pumpkin cheesecake bars is made in an 8" square pan to get 12 medium or 16 small bars. Typical cookie bar recipes are made in a giant 9x13-inch pan with far too many leftovers! However, you may double this recipe exactly and make it in a 9x13-inch pan.
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares Ingredients
The bottom layer of this dessert is a crisp graham cracker crust that contains a small amount of pumpkin spice. I like to infuse every bite of this dessert with pumpkin spice flavor! Speaking of, I make my own pumpkin spice blend from my homemade pumpkin spice lattes recipe.
Graham Crackers. We need 8 whole graham cracker sheets for this recipe. If you buy graham cracker crumbs that have already been crushed, we need 1 ¼ cups, or 128 grams. Granulated Sugar. This pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe only uses granulated white sugar. I know that brown sugar is a typical ingredient in crustless pumpkin pie, but I have found the extra molasses to make these bars overly wet. Stick to white sugar for the crust, cheesecake layer and the pumpkin layer. Pumpin Pie Spice. This is just a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. I like a pinch of black pepper in my pumpkin pie spice so that it reminds me of a chai latte. Butter. A small amount of melted unsalted butter is for the graham cracker crust. Cream Cheese. Two 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese that have been softened at room temperature for about 30 minutes. It’s best to remove the cream cheese from the package and let it rest on a plate or cutting board at room temperature. Eggs. Two large eggs, beaten in a separate bowl before stirring into the cheesecake batter. Vanilla. Always bake with real, pure vanilla extract. Canned Pumpkin Puree. Read the label before buying canned pumpkin puree to ensure you’re buying pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie puree. The latter has sugar already added and will cause the recipe to fail. Since this recipe uses only ¾ cup of pumpkin, use the rest of the can for my easy pumpkin bread or my mini pumpkin sheet cake with brown butter glaze on top. Ground Cinnamon. A small amount of extra ground cinnamon for the batter, because I find that pumpkin pie spice on its own can be a little too ginger-y.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars Substitutions
Chocolate Pumpkin Variation - Instead of regular graham crackers, use chocolate graham crackers for a chocolate twist!
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Even though this dessert is a combination of two different desserts, it only uses one bowl for preparation! We will make the graham cracker crumbs in the food processor (if you’re using whole crackers), and then make the cheesecake batter in a bowl. When the cheesecake batter is done, remove 1 cup of it and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients to transform it into pumpkin cheesecake. The batters will be swirled together before baking in the pan.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares Tips
If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a plastic food storage bag, and seal it. Use a rolling pin to crush into fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs in the bowl before adding the sugar, melted butter and pumpkin spice. Cheesecake can be tricky to know when to remove from the oven. When the timer goes off, pull the tray out from the oven. If the center of the cheesecake is slightly jiggly and the surface of the cheesecake is not overly wet, it is done. It will continue to cook a bit as it cools.
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars Storage
If you’re looking for a standard cheesecake to slice, don’t miss my instant pot pumpkin cheesecake. Graham Crackers: We need 8 whole graham cracker sheets for this recipe. If you buy graham cracker crumbs that have already been crushed, we need 1 ¼ cups, or 128 grams.Pumpin Pie Spice: This is a jarred spice blend made of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.Cream Cheese: The fastest way to soften cream cheese is to remove it from the package and let it rest on a plate or cutting board at room temperature for up to an hour.Canned Pumpkin Puree: Read the label before buying canned pumpkin puree to ensure you’re buying pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie puree. The latter has sugar already added and will cause the recipe to fail. Storage: These pumpkin cheesecake bars need to remain in the fridge indefinitely. You can freeze them individually in layers of plastic wrap and store them in freezer safe bags. To defrost, move them to the fridge overnight or let rest at room temperature for a few hours. Do not microwave these bars. Store all leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
