Giving Thanks for Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars with Sweet Streusel Topping

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars start with a Biscoff cookie crumb base and are topped with a sweet streusel for some welcome texture, crunch and flavor! Warmly spiced, these layered bars make a delicious fall treat or Thanksgiving dessert, ideal to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Welcome to the November edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month.

Pam and I are happy to have a special guest and Monday Morning Blooms’ friend,

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse, joining us for tea today.

We’re glad you’re here too, pour yourself a cuppa and join us! ☕

Join me for tea on the porch!

I’m using a favorite pumpkin teapot and teacup with sculpted leaves,

found at my favorite pumpkin patch, HomeGoods, several years ago.

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Harney & Sons Chai Tea is a new version of one of their early blends, Indian Spice tea. It features black tea from India, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and natural cardamom and vanilla flavors. The spice of nutmeg and cardamom really comes through. I don’t take milk with my tea as a rule, but it’s ideal to enjoy with milk and sugar.

To make Chai:

Heat one pint of milk and one cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat until warm.

Add 3 level teaspoons, teabags, or sachets of Chai tea and 6 Demerara sugar cubes (or to taste).

Simmer for 4 minutes; remove sachets and pour into mugs or a teapot.

This handsome ‘Tom’ joined my rafter of turkeys recently, from John Derian for Target.

 I blame Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul and her collection of Fine Feathered Friends!

🦃 🦃 🦃

‘Tom’ joins a leaf pillow and an embroidered pumpkin pillow, along with a plaid fringed throw,

for some cozy fall nesting on the porch.

Help yourself to a Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bar with Sweet Streusel Topping and Vanilla Glaze!

These layered bars are warmly spiced and make a delicious fall treat or Thanksgiving dessert,

ideal to enjoy with a morning or afternoon cup tea or coffee!

They only require 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, so it’s a tasty way

to use leftover canned pumpkin from another recipe.

For less clean up, you can make this recipe in the food processor. Pulse the streusel topping together in the processor; remove, and then mix up the cookie crust. Wipe out processor bowl with a paper towel, then mix the pumpkin/cream cheese filling. You’ll want to scrape the side of the processor bowl to make sure all the filling ingredients are incorporated.

I used Biscoff cookies for the crust, also known as speculoos, a Belgian shortbread-style biscuit

with a distinctive cinnamon-spiced flavor.

They provide some texture and cinnamon flavor as the base for these bars, but

 feel free to substitute ginger snaps or cinnamon graham crackers if you prefer.

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars with Streusel Topping and Biscoff Crust

Crust Ingredients

8.8 oz. package of Biscoff Cookies

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9 inch) baking pan, sprayed the nonstick spray and lined with parchment paper with edges hanging over the pan for easy removal of bars.

 Place cookies in a *food processor with salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Add melted butter to food processor and pulse to combine. *Alternatively place cookies in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Press crumb mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Bake at 350° for 12 – 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside while preparing filling and streusel topping.

The streusel topping is an irresistible mixture of chopped pecans, oats, flour, cinnamon, softened butter and brown sugar:

1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/4 cup rolled oats, old-fashioned or quick-cooking

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

1/3 cup brown sugar packed, light or dark

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients together until crumbly; set aside.

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

 Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. Pour mixture over crust, then sprinkle streusel topping over pumpkin filling.

 Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

For easier cutting, place the bars in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

To cut, lift the parchment out of the pan by the paper edges; cut into 16 bars.

Drizzle with optional vanilla glaze if desired.

The vanilla glaze is optional but highly recommended!

Vanilla Glaze

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 – 3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl mix the glaze ingredients together until smooth, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until reaching desired consistency.

Drizzle over the cooled bars.

Due to the cream cheese, store these bars in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.

You can freeze these bars up to three months. To freeze, wrap bars individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.

When you’re ready to eat, thaw them in the refrigerator for up to eight hours or overnight.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars with Streusel Topping and Biscoff Crust

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars start with a Biscoff cookie crumb layer, and topped with a sweet streusel for some welcome texture, crunch and flavor! Warmly spiced, these layered bars make a delicious fall treat or Thanksgiving dessert, ideal to enjoy with your favorite tea or coffee.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

chilling time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: biscoff cookies, cream cheese, fall dessert, pumpkin bars, pumpkin puree, streusel topping, Thanksgiving dessert

Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

Crust

• 8.8 oz. package of Biscoff Cookies
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup pecans roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup rolled oats old-fashioned or quick-cooking
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar light or dark

Pumpkin Bar Filling

• 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
• 2 large eggs room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Vanilla Glaze

• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 - 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

To make crust

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9 inch) baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper with edges hanging over the pan for easy removal of bars.
• Place cookies in a *food processor with salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add melted butter to food processor and pulse until combined. *Alternatively place cookies in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
• Press crumb mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Bake at 350° for 12 - 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside while preparing filling and streusel topping.

To make streusel topping

• In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

To make pumpkin filling

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice.
• Pour mixture over crust, then sprinkle streusel topping evenly over pumpkin filling.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown: cool in pan on wire rack.
• For easy cutting into bars, place pan in refrigerator. When chilled, remove bars from pan by parchment paper edges and cut into16 bars. Drizzle with optional vanilla glaze if desired.

To make vanilla glaze

• In a small bowl mix the glaze ingredients together until smooth, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until reaching desired consistency.
• Drizzle over the cooled bars and serve. Store leftover bars in refrigerator.

Notes

• Substitute ginger snap cookies or cinnamon graham crackers for Biscoff cookies if desired. 
• For less clean up, you can make this recipe in the food processor. Mix streusel topping in processor; remove and then mix up cookie crust. Wipe out processor with a paper towel, then use to mix pumpkin/cream cheese filling. 
• Glass vs. Metal Pans: The insulating properties of glass make it slow to heat up, retaining heat longer than metal. A good rule of thumb for baking in a glass pan is to lower the oven temperature by 25°F and bake up to 10 minutes longer.
• Due to the cream cheese, these bars need to be stored in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container for up to four days.
• These bars freeze well and last up to three months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, thaw them in the refrigerator for up to eight hours or overnight.

You’re invited to join Pam and Lidy for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

🦃  🦃  🦃

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 Metamorphosis Monday