Delicious and inspired by fall, these Pumpkin Crumb Bars are perfectly balanced in texture and flavors. They’re crispy, but creamy and melt in your mouth. The cream cheese pumpkin filling is smooth and silky, and tastes almost like a pumpkin cheesecake. The crumb topping bakes into crispy bites of brown sugar and oats.
This Thanksgiving, complete your feast with these airy but indulgent pumpkin bars that pair nicely with coffee or hot cocoa.
Pumpkin Crumb Bars
Yield 8
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Streusel Topping
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the butter and sugar to a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or mixing bowl with electric beaters) and cream together.
- Add the salt and vanilla extract and continue mixing.
- Slowly add the flour until a crumbly dough forms.
- Press the dough into a greased 8x8 baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Add all filling ingredients to the mixer bowl and blend well on medium speed.
- In a separate bowl, prepare the streusel topping by cutting the flour and brown sugar into the butter using a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in the oats last.
- Add the filling to the top of the crust, and top with streusel topping.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the streusel is a golden brown.