It’s fall, and you’re getting pulled in a million different directions, and you need a dessert your kids will love – enter these pumpkin bars that are so easy (and so delicious)… it’s MAGIC!

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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!

Easy Pumpkin Magic Bars

There is nothing better than pulling out a warm pan of these Easy Pumpkin Magic Bars – they smell great, are completely addictive, and so delicious!

This is the perfect season to bring these bars to work, or to your kids school – the perfect easy treat!

Your family and friends will love them – if you decide to share them at all (I won’t tell)!

This recipe can be changed to suit your needs and tastes, but the base is perfect for fall.

• These Pumpkin Magic Bars are part of the family of baked goods with a cookie-like crust that you prebake and then add topping to bake further.

• The cookie-like crust has the warmness from the pumpkin pie spice, so it takes on a little bit of bite, almost like a graham cracker crust. It’s absolutely perfect.

• They have great structure and are easy to take anywhere.

• Because Pumpkin Magic Bars are both easy to pack and easy to change, if you want a school-safe option, try substituting the pecans with Cheerios or crushed up pretzels!

• The crusty bottom makes these almost a magic cookie bar with a delicious pumpkin topping.

• Try this recipe with chocolate chips in place of butterscotch for a different flavor palate. 

How To Make Pumpkin Magic Bars

These tips will help you make pumpkin bars that are super easy and delicious, every time you make them!

For the crust:

• Butter – butter gives us a rich, salty flavor and perfect fat composition to make a cookie base that makes pumpkin bars taste like shortbread.
• Brown sugar – using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in this recipe helps to pull out a deeper caramel flavor that is more complex and molasses-like than overly sweet.
• All-purpose flour – using all purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour will work well to make our cookie base. We’re not looking for flour with lift, so do not use self-rising flour.
• Pumpkin pie spice – pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices that are traditionally used in pumpkin pie, including nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
• Sea salt – a bit of salt balances out sugar in cookies and also helps to enhance the cookies sweetness.

For the toppings:

• Canned pumpkin pie filling – while you can use home-mashed pumpkin, using pumpkin pie filling is super simple and a major timesaver.
• Butterscotch chips – butterscotch chips are often used in “magic” recipes because of their transformative properties when mixed with milk and heated- they don’t require stirring or work, and turn into a perfect glaze!
• Toffee bits – adding toffee bits adds a bit of extra crunch and flavor to take these bars over the top! You can usually find these in the baking section.
• Chopped pecans – chopped pecans help to add a hearty crunch and extra bite to these bars, with the nostalgic baked pecan flavor everyone loves.
• Sweetened condensed milk – condensed milk helps to bind our bars together and create a glaze with the butterscotch chips, as well as sweeten our recipe without adding corn syrup or additional sugar, so it’s sweet without being too sweet.

Magic Pumpkin Bars Tips and FAQs

The real secret to pumpkin magic bars is how easy they are – but these tips and tricks will help you have a perfect dessert, every time!

Refrigerate after baking. Due to the pumpkin in this recipe, these bars should be refrigerated.

Make them school safe. It’s hard when your kids go to school to find ways to make homemade delicious treats “nut-free” to tuck into their lunchboxes. Many schools don’t allow any foods with peanuts or tree nuts, including walnuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, or pistachios. Rules like these exist to protect children with allergies. Try substituting the pecans with cheerios or crushed pretzels to make these bars school-safe. Your kids will open their lunchboxes with glee.

How to serve. I love this cute pumpkin platter to arrange the bars on. When people take them one at a time, it reveals such a beautiful message. If you have any leftover (unlikely), these Magic Pumpkin Bars are great with a cup of coffee in the morning.

Dust with sugar. Also, consider dusting the top with powdered sugar to give them that beautiful finish and visual depth on top! 

• Always store these bars in the refrigerator because of the pumpkin.

• Try substituting the butterscotch chips for chocolate chips – pumpkin and chocolate are a great combo!

• If you want to delight your kids, try making these Magic Pumpkin Bars “school safe.”

FAQs

Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

If you love these pumpkin magic bars, be sure to check out our other pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Old Fashioned

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Easy Pumpkin Crisp

You can find our pumpkin recipe archives here.

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