Day 9 of my 12 days of cookies: Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars. My mouth salivates just saying the name. Snickerdoodles are just meant to be with pumpkin pie. It’s a match made in heaven. I know this isn’t a cookie, but I’ve always thrown a bar in for the past two years of my 12 days of cookies, so I had to stay true to tradition.
These bars were utterly divine. However, I do have a bone to pick; The snickerdoodle layer didn’t quite bake thoroughly in the middle of the pan even thought the edges were set. When I make them again, I’ll try baking the snickerdoodle layer alone for about 5 minutes or so before throwing on the pumpkin layer.
The white chocolate on top was totally not necessary and didn’t really add much to the bar itself, so you can feel free to omit that if you want.
I’m exhausted from baking already and it’s not even Christmas, yet! Whew! I almost forgot how much work it is to bake non stop all day. I’m spending tonight at home by the fireplace, watching Avatar with the bestie… only to start the whole baking process again in two days! This recipe is from Beantown Baker.
Snickerdoodle layer:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Pie Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
Topping
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Drizzle
- 1 oz white chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.
To make snickerdoodle layer:
- Stir together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
To make pumpkin pie filling:
- In a mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.
- Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 33-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely. They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.
- After the bars are completely cool, place the chopped white chocolate into a bowl or zip-lock bag and melt on low power. When it’s completely melted, add the pumpkin pie spice and mix (or knead if using a zip lock bag). Use a spoon or cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and let it cool and harden.
- Store in a covered container.