Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

The flavors of fall come together with a gingerbread twist in these perfectly spiced Pumpkin Bars. A creamy pumpkin filling rests between a hearty gingerbread crust and a sweet oat crumb topping.

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Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

Ever wondered what would happen if you mixed the taste of fall with the taste of Christmas? Well wonder no more, because with this Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars recipe you get the classic pumpkin flavor we can’t miss out on during the fall, and a hint of a classic Christmas cookie flavor!

It’s the perfect dessert to start your transition into holiday baking! Each bite will have you falling even deeper in love with the spiced gingerbread crust leading you to a pumpkin pie filling, and topping it all off with an oatmeal cookie crumb topping.

Talk about a true triple threat, Am I right? Your taste buds won’t know what to do with themselves after this blast of flavors hits your mouth! 

How To A Make Perfect Pumpkin Filling

(full printable recipe at end of post)

One might think that once you’ve seen one pumpkin filling, you’ve seen them all. I must inform you now that you are sadly mistaken. A truly amazing pumpkin filling needs all the right ingredients, followed by careful steps, and a little love and care.

Through trial and error with different recipes, I’ve found what I believe to be the best filling that’s perfect for these pumpkin bars. The best part is that it’s as simple as combining the pumpkin, sugar, molasses, cream cheese, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Then beating until well mixed and adding the eggs, beating until well mixed.

Additional Crust Alternatives: 

Oatmeal Cookie Crust:

3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, stir just until combined

Chocolate Crust:

1 (14-15 ounce package) chocolate cake mix + oil water and eggs listed on box
1 cup crushed chocolate graham crackers
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Prepare the same as the gingerbread crust recipe listed at the bottom, replacing any gingerbread ingredients with your chocolate ingredients.

Tips For An Easy Pumpkin Bar Baking Experience

Use a cake mix for the crust. Don’t be afraid to use a box mix in this situation. I agree that there’s a time and a place for from scratch cake recipes, but this is not one of those situations. The box mix will save you so much time, and still tastes amazing!

Buy pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin filling. This is a common mistake made when you’re buying ingredients at the store. The two products look similar in packaging, but what’s inside is most definitely not the same! Make sure to read the labels carefully or your filling will not turn out.

Wait until cooled to cut. To achieve that perfect square cut, you’ll need the pumpkin bars to be completely cooled fist. If they are still warm you run the risk of having a crumbled mess on your hands.

Fall In Love With More Bar Recipes!

Pumpkin Spice Carmelita Bars Whether for dinner guests, an after-school snack, or even a late night treat, this dessert is the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Brownie Batter Frosted Peanut Butter Bars Chewy peanut butter cookie bars are covered in a rich {egg-free} brownie batter frosting for a sweet and salty treat that’s beyond amazing to eat!

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars Everything you love about pecan pie, along with a layer of chocolate, transformed into an easy to eat bar to pick up and enjoy.

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars This is a treat that’s the best of both worlds, the snickerdoodle cookies we all know and love and that classy older sister, cheesecake!

Triple Chocolate Caramel Bars Like a thick chewy brownie only better!! These indulgent cake mix bars are always a hit and easy to make!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Gooey Butter Bars This fun twist on Gooey Butter Cake is OUTSTANDING!  I added a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough in the middle to make this a crazy sweet and rich dessert you won’t forget!

Like This Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars Recipe? Pin It!

These gingerbread pumpkin bars are just begging for you to make them! So, don’t leave them hanging! It’s time to grab your apron and your spatula and get baking! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the recipe I know you’ll love it just as much my family and I did!

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Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

Yield: 9 bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

The flavors of fall come together with a gingerbread twist in these perfectly spiced pumpkin bars. The lcreamy pumpkin filling rests between a hearty gingerbread crust and a sweet crumb topping.

Print

Ingredients

for the Gingerbread Crust:

• 1 (14-15 ounce package) gingerbread cake mix + oil water and eggs listed on box
• 1 cup crushed gingersnaps (about 20 cookies)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

for crumb topping

•  3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats

for Pumpkin Filling

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 large eggs

Instructions

For Gingerbread Crust:

1. Prepare and bake gingerbread cake mix as directed on box. Cool cake completely.
2. Heat oven to 350° and crumble 1 1/2 cups of cooled gingerbread cake.
3. Combine, crumbled gingerbread, crushed gingersnaps and melted butter in a mixing bowl, and stir until well combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Bake for 5 minutes to set crust

For Oat Crumb Topping:

1. Combine sugar, butter, and molasses in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice; beat at low speed until well mixed. Add oats mix well and set aside.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, molasses, cream cheese, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Beat until well mixed. Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed. Spread mixture over crust. Crumble oat topping over filling. Bake in 350° oven for 25-30 minutes or until topping is light golden brown. Cool completely.

Notes

store in a loosely covered container in the refrigerator.