I wouldn’t describe myself as having a sweet tooth, but lately I’ve been fascinated with all things dessert. I found this recipe for Magic Pumpkin Bars, and since I opened a giant can of pumpkin last week, I’ve been trying to find ways to incorporate it into my meals this week (which is hard, since there are about three foods that exist that currently appeal to me at any given time).
Pumpkin Magic Bars
Ingredients:
25 gingersnaps (which I meticulously counted out, even putting the broken ones together to make wholes)
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup toffee bits
8 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pumpkin
pumpkin pie spices to taste (cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg)
I am not a huge fan of white chocolate but bought the chips anyway. I cut back on the chips and added more toffee. I used a little more pumpkin than the recipe called for in an effort to use it up and omitted the sugar. I also used almonds instead of pecans because I had them on hand.
Preheat oven to 350. Crush gingersnaps in a food processor until ground finely. Add the sugar and melted butter and press into a 9×9 pan, lined in foil and sprayed with Pam. Once the gingersnap crust is set, add chocolate, then nuts, then coconut, then toffee. Whisk the condensed milk, pumpkin, and spices and pour over everything. Bake for 30 minutes.
My pan was not 9×9 (probably a little smaller) so I knew it would take a little longer to cook (plus I used more pumpkin). They’re very sweet. One or two bites is all you need (unless you’re looking to completely indulge and then spend the rest of the day laying on the couch feeling ill).
Copyright 2014 Anne Mathay