Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

I'm going to have to ask you to focus.

FOCUS.

Alrighty. Now, listen carefully: You're not hallucinating. Pumpkin pie snickerdoodle bars? They're a reality. They exist.

I know.

If you've never seen perfection on a plate, well...

Now you have.

I'll admit that I was a little bit skeptical about these at first. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie.

I know.

It's a consistency thing. But judging from the ingredients, I didn't think the pumpkin part of these would be exactly like pumpkin pie filling, so I decided to give them a whirl. After breakfast this morning, I whipped up these babies, and then had the pleasure of smelling them throughout the house ALL.DAY.LONG.

For the record? They smell amazing.

Then, it was finally (FINALLY!) time to bring them over to our friends' house. They invited us for dinner, and these scrumptious pumpkin pie snickerdoodle bars (which still sound too good to be true) are what I brought for dessert.

So we had dinner. And then dessert time could not have come fast enough. I can tell you that those minutes were filled with lots of yummy noises.
I don't need to tell you to make these, do I?

I didn't think so.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
(Source: Dozen Flours, as seen on Beantown Baker)

A couple of notes: Because there were only four of us at dinner, I didn't want to make an entire 9x13" pan of these. Although I'm sort of regretting it now that I don't have any extras to eat, it was ultimately the right decision because... I don't have any extras to eat. :) Instead, I halved the recipe and made these in an 8x8" pan. It worked out perfectly, so if you're looking to make a smaller batch, that's the trick. (To clarify, the recipe below is the original, and should be made in a 9x13" pan. To make it 8x8", you need to halve all of the ingredients.)

Secondly, I took Jen's advice and pre-baked the snickerdoodle layer for a few minutes. And while they were amazing, I think I'd like them even more if the cookie layer had been a little softer, so I probably wouldn't do that next time. As a result, I've left the recipe unadapted. But if you'd like a firmer cookie layer, that's trick #2.

Ingredients:

For the Snickerdoodle Layer:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

For the Pumpkin Pie Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

For the topping:
- 2 tbsp. white sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon

For the drizzle:
- 1 oz white chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13" pan and lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends the pan slightly. The parchment paper is an optional step, but it will make it easier to get the bars out later

2. To make snickerdoodle layer: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan. (If you wet your hands and then spread the dough by hand, it is much easier than using a spatula.)

3. To make pumpkin pie layer: In a mixer bowl (you can use the same one you used to make the snickerdoodle batter, no need to wash it) with a paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. This layer will be less thick and more pourable. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.

4. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

5. Bake for 33-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely. They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.

6. After the bars are completely cool, place the chopped white chocolate into a bowl or zip-lock bag and melt on low power. When it's completely melted, add the pumpkin pie spice and mix (or knead if using a zip lock bag). Use a spoon or cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and let it cool and harden.

7. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars. Store in a covered container.