Easy to make and utterly delicious, these pumpkin pie bars have everything you love about pumpkin pie, but they’re easy to eat out of your hand, serve at a party, display at a bake sale, or give to a friend. These bar cookies are extra special with a touch of candied ginger whipped cream!
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No Thanksgiving celebration is complete without pumpkin pie. Sure, a tender, flaky crust filled with silky pumpkin pudding is a thing of beauty, but it can also be finicky. The holidays are already stressful enough – dessert doesn’t have to be.
How to make pumpkin pie bars
Instead of fumbling with rolling out a traditional pie crust, graham crackers are finely chopped in a food processor along with light brown sugar and melted butter, then pressed into a parchment-lined glass baking dish and par-fried.
The pumpkin pudding gets a heady dose of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla. For an even fiery kick, finely chopped candied ginger specks are scooped under the whipped cream.
Each delicious bite is packed with spice. The bars can be eaten out of hand or served with fancy china and a fork. Who doesn’t love a dessert that can be dressed up or down?!
Pumpkin loves ginger!
Candied ginger, also known as crystallized ginger, can be a secret weapon in baking, adding a touch of sweet spiciness to scones, muffins and cakes. (It’s also wonderful folded into your morning oatmeal or yogurt.)
- You can find candied ginger at grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Safeway, and online.
- If the candied ginger sticks together when you chop it, mix it with a few teaspoons of sugar to break up any large clumps.
- The finer the candied ginger is chopped, the more evenly it will spread in the whipped cream.
How to serve pumpkin pie bars like a pro
Using the rectangular baking pan here means no thin slices of cake! Depending on how you slice the bars, this is the type of dessert that can feed 24 people as easily as a dozen.
- If you line the baking pan with a loop of parchment, you can transfer the entire dessert from the baking pan to the cutting board for easy slicing.
- To get clean slices every time, use a long, sharp knife and clean the blade between each slice. (I run the knife under hot water and then wipe dry with a tea towel.)
- Spooning whipped cream onto each bar works great, but for an extra polished look, use a piping bag with a 1/2-inch star tip. To use a squirt tip, make sure the ginger is chopped to avoid clogging the tip. Garnish each dollop of whipped cream with a little more candied ginger for extra sparkle.
How to make, store and freeze pumpkin pie bars
One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make these bars ahead of time, making them an ideal holiday dessert.
- Uncut, the bars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, covered with a sheet of parchment and foil. Cut into bars, they can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- The whipped cream is best served the day it is made, although you can finely chop the candied ginger a day or two in advance.
But do they freeze well?
- Yes! Place the sliced bars in an airtight container in a single layer and freeze for up to a month. On the day you plan to serve the bars, place them in the fridge to thaw for a few hours, then let sit at room temperature for about an hour. While the bars are defrosting, prepare the whipped cream.
You need pumpkin; We have recipes!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Old fashioned pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin cheesecake bars with crumble topping
- pumpkin bread
- pumpkin waffles
- Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips
Pumpkin pie bars with candied ginger whipped cream
ingredients
- For the graham cracker crust:
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24 (420 grams) full graham cracker sheets
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1 cup (2 sticks; 228 grams) unsalted butter, melted
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1/2 cup (88 grams) light brown sugar, packaged
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1/2 teaspoon salt
- For the pudding:
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2 (15 ounce) cans of pumpkin puree
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1 1/2 (264 grams) cups light brown sugar, packaged
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1 cup cream
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4 large eggs, lightly beaten
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2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
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1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1 teaspoon of salt
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the whipped cream:
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1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger, plus more for garnish
method
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Prepare the oven and pan:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper hanging over the sides to use as a sling to remove the bars after baking. Feel free to smear a little butter on the bottom of the pan to help the parchment stay in place.
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Make the crust:
Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulverize until finely ground and similar to sand. You should have a little over 3 cups ground at one time. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can also place the graham crackers in a ziplock bag and smash them up with a rolling pin.)
Add the light brown sugar and salt; Pulse until full combination. Add the butter in a steady stream while the food processor is running.
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Pour into the prepared casserole dish:
Divide the graham cracker mixture evenly in the prepared casserole dish. Use your fingers and the bottom of a dry measuring cup to press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of the bowl.
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Bake the crust:
Slide the casserole dish into the oven and set it on the middle shelf. Bake for 12 minutes or until crust has darkened slightly and smells slightly caramelized. Take out of the oven and cool down a bit.
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Make the pudding:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, light brown sugar, heavy cream, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Pour the pudding over the graham cracker crust.
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Bake bars:
Place pan in oven and bake 50 to 55 minutes until pudding is set (top should look dry and center should be firm but wobble a little).
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Remove from the oven and cool:
Place the casserole dish on a wire rack and cool completely, at least 2 hours. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
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Prepare whipped cream:
While the bars are chilling in the fridge, prepare the whipped cream.
In a well-chilled bowl, whisk together the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. (If you’re doing this by hand, it may take 10-15 minutes or more.) If you want to learn all about properly whipping cream, read our post: How to Make Whipping Cream.
Once the cream has stiffened, fold in the finely chopped candied ginger. When you squirt the whipped cream onto the bars, be careful how finely chopped the ginger is so it doesn’t clog the squirt tip.
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Cut the bars:
When the bars have cooled, lift the parchment ends and remove from the pan. Using a long, sharp knife, cut the cake into bars. For the cleanest lines, instead of running the knife through the bars, cut straight down, gently wiping the blade between each cut.
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Surcharge:
Add a dollop of whipped cream to each bar, or for a more decorative approach, use a large open star nozzle to squirt the whipped cream. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger and serve.
