Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars
Everything you love about pumpkin pie, baked into bars that are easy to share. A press-in crust made from grain-free cookies holds a creamy pumpkin filling made with coconut milk and maple syrup, so the bars are gluten-free and dairy-free.
Servings: 16
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 5 ounces grain-free cookies I use Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins Cookies (about 60 cookies)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt Use half the amount if substituting with sea salt or Morton's brand kosher salt.
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil or melted ghee or butter
Pumpkin Pie Bar Filling
- 1¼ cups full-fat canned coconut milk
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin purée I like Libby's brand
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt Use half the amount if substituting with sea salt or Morton's brand kosher salt.
- whipped coconut cream optional topping
Instructions
Make the cookie crust
- Heat the oven to 375°F with the rack in the middle.While the oven is heating, grab an 8 x 8-inch metal square baking pan and line it with parchment paper. You don't have to line the pan with parchment paper (you can grease the pan instead) but I prefer parchment for ease of removal and cleaning.
- In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, coconut sugar, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and melted coconut oil, and mix well until it looks like wet sand. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the parchment lined baking pan and press it into an even layer with a spatula or offset spatula.
- Bake the cookie crust in the oven for 6 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned. When the cookie crust is finished baking, place the pan on a wire rack and cool the cookie crust to room temperature.
Make the pumpkin pie bar filling
- Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s steaming but not boiling. (You can also microwave it in a glass measuring cup until steaming.)
- Grab a large mixing bowl and add the eggs and maple syrup. Mix well with a hand whisk or hand mixer until thoroughly combined.
- Then, in a slow and constant stream, add the warmed coconut milk to the egg and syrup mixture, a little bit at a time, and mix vigorously. Don’t be impatient and add the hot coconut milk all at once or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs! You should end up with a creamy, uniform mixture. (Pro tip: put a silicone trivet or damp kitchen towel under the bowl so it stays in place).
- Next, add the pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice blend, vanilla extract, and salt to the egg mixture. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the creamy pumpkin filling into the pan with the cooled cookie crust.
Bake the pumpkin pie bars
- Pop the pan in the oven and bake the pumpkin pie bars at 375°F for about 45-50 minutes. The pumpkin pie bars are ready when the filling is puffed, dry looking, only slightly jiggly in the center, and has a few cracks on the edges. You can double check if the filling is done by using an instant-read thermometer and checking that the filling temperature is 175°F.
- Before serving the pumpkin pie bars, cool them in the pan to room temperature on a wire rack, about 2 to 3 hours.
- Transfer to a cutting board and cut into sixteen even squares. Serve as-is or top with a dollop of whipped coconut cream.
Video
Notes
Got leftovers? Store the pumpkin pie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To save some for later, pop them in the freezer, where they'll last for up to 4 months. To thaw, move them from the freezer to the fridge and let them sit for several hours or overnight. Thawing them slowly keeps the filling creamy, so they taste almost as good as the day you made them.
Nutrition
Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin C: 1mg