Saturday, October 10, 2009

Pumpkin Magic Cookie Bars


Magic cookie bars, 7-layer bars, Hello Dolly Bars... whatever you call them, they are a delicious treat. Add some pumpkin and fun fall flavors, and you have a fun and seasonal dessert.

I got the idea for these from Picky Palate, but I made quite a few adjustments. I thought hazelnuts would be more fallish than cashews, and I added some white chocolate. In the future I think I will add a little more pumpkin, and use pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon. While they were certainly tasty, I didn't think the pumpkin was very prominent. I have made these adjustments below. Jenny tops these with caramel, which I think is awesome, but I left well enough alone. I also think using butterscotch chips would be great too. The fun thing about this type of dessert is that it is open to so many adaptations...the possibilities are endless!
Pumpkin Pie Magic Cookie Bars adapted from Picky Palate
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
  • 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter, and press into bottom of the dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts. I use a small skillet, and just cook them over medium heat, tossing occasionally until they are lightly browned. Set aside and allow to cool enough to handle, then coarsely chop.

Toast the coconut by spreading it out onto a dinner plate, and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well between each time. Repeat until lightly browned.

Using a hand mixer, beat the pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined.

Spread the pumpkin mixture over the crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips, white chocolate, and hazelnuts over the pumpkin. Top with the coconut, and pour the condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the mixture has started to set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 hours before cutting.

optional: drizzle with caramel to serve.


2 comments:

Erin said...

I love regular seven layer bars, but these look even better!

Pantry Raid Blog said...

Magic cookie bars are my husband's favorite. And he loves pumpkin too - I bet he would go crazy for these. They look fantastic!

Post a Comment

 
BLOG DESIGN BY: SHERBET BLOSSOM DESIGNS