Magic Bars Featuring Pumpkin and Gingersnaps
Magic bars are classically made with graham crackers, chocolate morsels and sweetened condensed milk, along with coconut. Dorothy Kern, the blogger at crazyforcrust.com, has come up with an autumnal version featuring gingersnap crumbs and pumpkin. Brilliant and perfect for fall and winter bake sales and parties. This recipe, along with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Toffee Bark, are from her book Dessert Mashups, where you will find all kinds of sweet combos in one dessert: S’More Cookies, Banana Cream Pie Dip, Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls and more.
Excerpted with permission from Dessert Mashups: Tasty Two-in-One Treats Including Sconuts, S’morescake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Many More
Giving a normal everyday dessert (like a magic bar) a makeover for a holiday is one of the things I love most about my job. Magic bars are so easy to change up, so adding the flavors of any holiday is easy. These pumpkin pie magic bars are made with yummy fall ingredients: toffee, pumpkin, and pecans all layered on top of a gingersnap crust. If you’ve never tried pumpkin with gingersnaps before, this is a great place to start. You’re in for a treat!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time 35 minutes
Cool Time 2 to 4 hours
- 25 gingersnap cookies, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1⁄4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1⁄4 cup toffee bits
- 1⁄4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1⁄2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray or line with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup.
- Grind the gingersnaps to a fine crumb in a food processor; you should have about 1 1⁄2 cups of crumbs. Place cookie crumbs in a medium bowl and mix with the sugar and melted butter. Press into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the white chocolate chips, pecans, coconut, and toffee over the top of the crust.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour over the top of the bars. The mixture will just barely cover; use a spatula to carefully spread it to the edges.
- Bake for 29 to 35 minutes, until the edges have started to brown. Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Author Tip: Different brands of sweetened condensed milk come in different thicknesses. If it’s too thick to be pourable, you can transfer it to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on high for 10 to 20 seconds until it becomes a little thinner.
SAVE THIS RECIPE ……