For day 10 of my 12 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes we are making pumpkin blondie cheesecake bars! You may remember my apple blondie cheesecake bars from last year, and they were a hit! So I am back with a similar, yet very different dessert.
These cheesecake bars are perfect for Thanksgiving because they are so easy to share. Once they’re sliced and onto a plate people can come back again and again until it’s all gone! And they’ll want to. These bars have a graham cracker crust on bottom, then a layer of pumpkin blondies, all topped with a layer of no-bake cheesecake, and a little sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice on top! They are a lot, but I promise it is so worth it.
ingredients needed for pumpkin blondie cheesecake bars
graham cracker crust
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
pumpkin blondies
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour (325g)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
how to make these pumpkin blondie cheesecake bars
Let’s start by making the crust! If you are starting with whole graham crackers, throw them in a food processor and pulse until crumbs remain. Add the butter, sugar, and salt into the food processor. Pulse until combined then transfer to a 9×13″ dish lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 5 minutes to just set the crust! Remove from the oven and let it cool.
While the crust cools, make the pumpkin blondie! We are using brown butter for these blondies so add the butter to a pan over medium heat. Stir while it melts and continue to stir for about 5 minutes. The butter will begin to bubble, then foam up. When the foam subsides, you’ll be left with brown, nutty smelling butter! Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
Now the butter has slightly cooled off, add the brown sugar and stir. It will be a sandy-like consistency. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring between each addition. After the eggs are added, the mixture will be smooth. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla, then add all the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is just combined. Pour the batter onto the graham cracker crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the center is just set.
The blondies have to cool completely before you can add the cheesecake topping. If you are in a hurry, stick it in the fridge! While the blondies cool, make the cheesecake layer. Add the cream cheese to a bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and pumpkin pie spice and mix until the sugar is totally incorporated. In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Add the heavy cream and vanilla to the bowl of cream cheese and fold it together.
When the blondies have completely cooled, add the cream cheese layer on top and smooth out completely. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 4 hours or overnight — this will give the bars time to completely set up! Right before serving, slice with a large knife and dust with a little pumpkin pie spice!
other recipes you will love
- apple blondie cheesecake bars
- pumpkin spice candied nuts
- apple cinnamon dutch baby
- pecan pie cookies
pumpkin blondie cheesecake bars
ingredients
graham cracker crust
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
pumpkin blondies
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour (325 grams)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Add the graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until crumbs. Add melted butter, sugar, and salt and pulse until combined.
- Dump the mixture into a 9×13" pan lined with parchment paper. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Let the crust cool while you make the blondies.
- To make the blondies, add the butter to a pan over medium heat. Stir while the butter melts. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes — the butter will begin to bubble, then foam, then the foam will subside. When the foam subsides, you'll be left with brown, nutty smelling butter. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the butter has cooled slightly, add the brown sugar and stir until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring between each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and stir until combined.
- Add all the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the batter on top of the cooled graham cracker crust. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the middle is just set (and no longer jiggles). Remove from the oven and let cool completely (if you are in a hurry, you can stick the blondies in the fridge to speed up the cool time).
- While the blondies cool, make the cheesecake layer. Add the cream cheese to a bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes. Add sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla and mix until sugar is totally incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and fold in until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the blondies and spread out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once the cheesecake layer has set, slice with a large knife and dust the top with a little pumpkin pie spice. Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply