Pumpkin Pie Bars

16 standard portions

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Ingredients

• 5 ounces grain-free cookies I use Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins Cookies (about 60 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt Use half the amount if substituting with sea salt or Morton's brand kosher salt.
• ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil or melted ghee or butter
• 1¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 15 ounces canned pumpkin purée I like Libby's brand
• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt Use half the amount if substituting with sea salt or Morton's brand kosher salt.
• whipped coconut cream (optional topping)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375°F with the rack in the middle. While the oven is heating, grab an 8 x 8-inch metal square baking pan and line it with parchment paper. You don't have to line the pan with parchment paper (you can grease the pan instead) but I prefer parchment for ease of removal and cleaning.
2. Dump the cookies into a food processor and and pulse until fine crumbs form.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, coconut sugar, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and melted coconut oil, and mix well until it looks like wet sand. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the parchment lined baking pan and press it into an even layer with a spatula or offset spatula.
4. Bake the cookie crust in the oven for 6 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned. When the cookie crust is finished baking, place the pan on a wire rack and cool the cookie crust to room temperature.
5. Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s steaming but not boiling. (You can also microwave it in a glass measuring cup until steaming.)
6. Grab a large mixing bowl and add the eggs and maple syrup. Mix well with a hand whisk or hand mixer until thoroughly combined.
7. Then, in a slow and constant stream, add the warmed coconut milk to the egg and syrup mixture, a little bit at a time, and mix vigorously. Don’t be impatient and add the hot coconut milk all at once or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs! You should end up with a creamy, uniform mixture. (Pro tip: put a silicone trivet or damp kitchen towel under the bowl so it stays in place).
8. Next, add the pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice blend, vanilla extract, and salt to the egg mixture. Whisk until evenly combined.
9. Pour the creamy pumpkin filling into the pan with the cooled cookie crust.
10. Pop the pan in the oven and bake the pumpkin pie bars at 375°F for about 45-50 minutes. The pumpkin pie bars are ready when the filling is puffed, dry looking, only slightly jiggly in the center, and has a few cracks on the edges. You can double check if the filling is done by using an instant-read thermometer and checking that the filling temperature is 175°F.
11. Before serving the pumpkin pie bars, cool them in the pan to room temperature on a wire rack, about 2 to 3 hours.
12. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into sixteen even squares. Serve as-is or top with a dollop of whipped coconut cream.