Around the Thanksgiving holiday time, it’s always the most chaotic time of the year.  I have Chris’ birthday around that time, as well as my nephew and niece all a day or two apart from each other.  This year for Chris’ birthday, we took a trip to Napa to celebrate.  Then after the trip I had to prep for Thanksgiving.  Last year we were in Mexico.  We also moved into our new house so we didn’t really have our Thanksgiving dinner in our new home until this year.  Having said all that, my blog took a backseat.  Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.  I know we did.  Our bellies were full!

Every year (almost) around November, I always make a pumpkin pie for Chris.  He’s a HUGE fan.  And it’s always with maple syrup added to it.  When we moved last year I must have inadvertently donated my pie dish.  So to keep with tradition I kept the filling the same, but changed it up to a graham cracker crust instead of a regular pie crust.  If you’re a huge fan of pumpkin pie like Chris, you’ll really dig this pie bar.  Have a great week!

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Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of dark muscovado sugar
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin purée
• 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup of whipping cream
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking spray.  Line it with a sheet of parchment paper leaving a generous overhang for easy removal; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, muscovado sugar and butter.  Use a fork to mix everything together and then pour the mixture into the baking pan.  Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until crust is lightly brown.  Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow it to cool while you prepare the filling.  Do not turn off the oven.

Meanwhile, using a stand or electric mixer (or mix by hand), whisk together pumpkin purée, maple syrup, whipping cream, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt in a large bowl until combined.  Pour pumpkin filling over the crust and spread it evenly with a spatula, if needed.

Return pan to the oven; bake for 60-70 minutes or until filling is just set in center.  Transfer to rack and cool completely.  Cover pie bars and refrigerate until cold.  Serve pie bars cold or at room temperature (I prefer it cold).  Note: This can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Keep refrigerated.

Adapted from Bon Appétit