Pumpkin Layer Bars

I know it’s not so-called pumpkin season, but this can of pumpkin was taunting me and so I just had to do something. Just had too! Only problem is, this recipe only uses a little bit of pumpkin so now I have the rest of the can taunting me in the fridge.  Ok, gotta make something else pumpkin!

It’s been an interesting week, punctuated by one of the dogs I’m watching digging a hole under the porch and getting herself very stuck. But mostly I’ve been sucked into the world of, and completely obsessed with, vegan meringues. That’s right VEGAN Meringues.  The vegan foodie world is an amazing creative place!! New post coming soon with a meringue recipe, just working it out a bit :).

These pumpkin bars are so ridiculously easy to make and way to easy to eat. If you’ve ever had magic bars or 7 layer bars, or whatever they are called where you are, these are very similar, except there aren’t 7 layers. Also I used homemade sweetened condensed milk, made with coconut milk. It’s really simple to make and is an awesome non-dairy alternative to the dairy version – instructions on how to make are at the end of the recipe.

Pumpkin Layer Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (Mi-del makes a great vegan gingersnap cookie)
• 5 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut sweetened condensed milk **
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil and spray lightly with oil.
2. Mix the gingersnap cookie crumbs with the melted butter and press into the prepared pan.
3. Layer the chocolate chips, hazelnuts,  and coconut on top of the crust.
4. Mix the sweetened condensed milk,  pumpkin puree, and spice and then pour over the nuts and chocolate.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until browned along the edges.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. These are really best chilled and eaten straight from the fridge.  Or warmed up with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream on top :).

**To make Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk.  Combine 2 cans full fat coconut milk and 1/2 cup light brown sugar in a saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring often and keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over. It will thicken and reduce down to about 2/3.  Cool than store in refrigerator up to 5 days.  It gets thicker as it chills too.