I have a confession.

These Pumpkin Pie Bars were a breakfast bar fail. “A” was looking for a something sweet to eat with his morning coffee so I whipped these up.

But once he tried them he didn’t hesitate to let me know that they would not do. They were too dessert-y and not breakfast-y enough. Delicious, but not the right bar for the job.

Rather than keep them around to eat for dessert that week, I threw them in the freezer in anticipation of a future potluck or last-minute dinner invite.

I was right, they did come in handy, but not for a last-minute dinner invitation to someone else’s house but for a last-minute guest in my own home. Either way saving was a good idea.

I’m sharing this recipe, it’s delicious and easy to make but in all honesty it probably wouldn’t be my first pick for a quick dessert. It works, just not my first pick.

I also want to share a habit that I’ve gotten into that would have proved helpful in this scenario. In the Food post in this month’s Setting the Stage series I talked about keeping a stocked pantry. As an extension of that practice I always try to keep a sweet bread mix (Pumpkin this time of year) for just such a scenario. Unfortunately, this time around I was out of stock.

Luckily I had this in the freezer. I defrosted and served with whip cream. Vanilla ice cream would have been delicious too!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Ingredients

For Crumb Crust/ Topping
2 1/2 cups all purpose flower
3 cups quick oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla

For Pie Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
1-28 oz. canned pumpkin puree
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven  to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. Add in sugar and brown sugar and mix well. Combine melted butter and vanilla, add to mix. Stir until combined.
4. Press half of the mixture into the prepared pan and bake 15 minutes.
5. In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, then mix. Add in pumpkin puree and evaporated milk. Mix well. Pour mixture over baked bottom and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and crumble the rest of the crumb mixture over pumpkin layer and bake for another 20-25 minutes until top is lightly browned and center us still a little giggly.
7. Allow to coll for 1 hour at room temperature and then 1 hour in the fridge.
8. Top with whipped cream/