Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars

The flavor of pumpkin pie, but easier to make with a graham cracker crust, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars are the perfect end to your Thanksgiving dinner.

I've never been much of a pie person. There are definitely some custard-based pies that I like (Key Lime is my very favorite), but fruit pies are not for me.

I think it's because I don't like the traditional pie crust. I don't enjoy eating it, and I despise making it.

If I ever do make a pie with a traditional pastry crust, which is rare, I almost always use a store-bought crust.

So this year, I tried something a little different. I made Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars. No store-bought crust is required since they use graham cracker crust (my favorite).

I based the recipe on my Pumpkin Pie recipe, which is delicious, even to my pie-disliking palate.

I also remembered a delicious pumpkin-flavored cheesecake that I made many years ago, and decided to add a cheesecake swirl. You could forgo the cheesecake swirl in this recipe completely, and it would still be great.

And, I decided to use the crust that is always my fall-back on pie and bar desserts: graham cracker crust.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars

These bars are make-ahead friendly, which is perfect for those holiday feasts. In fact, it's pretty much a necessity to make them ahead of time, because they take several hours to cool.

I would recommend making them at least the day before you plan to serve them, then keep them in the fridge until you're ready to serve them.

If you don't want them to be fridge cold come dessert time, just take them out of the fridge and keep them at room temperature for a few hours before dinner.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Ingredients:

There are 3 different components to these pumpkin spice flavored bars: the pumpkin pie filling, the cheesecake swirl, and the graham cracker crust.

Graham Cracker Crust

• Graham crackers
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Unsalted butter

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• Evaporated milk
• Milk
• Large eggs
• Large egg yolks
• Vanilla
• Pumpkin puree or pureed winter squash
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Grated fresh ginger
• Salt
• Ground cinnamon
• Grated nutmeg

Cheesecake Swirl

• Neufchatel or light cream cheese
• Granulated Sugar
• Large egg
• Vanilla

As we all know, pumpkin pie is better with whipped cream. These Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake bars are no exception.

Whisk together some heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, or go for the old spray can of real whipped cream.

After all, there's just something that says "Thanksgiving" in that "gsshhh" sound that it makes as you layer it over the entire top of your dessert.

Want more pie recipes?

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars Nutrition Notes:

The nutrition information in the recipe uses 2% evaporated milk and 1% milk for the calculations.

On portion size: cut the bars into larger portions (16 bars) if you're serving them as a stand-alone dessert.

If you're using them as part of a dessert tray or buffet, try cutting them into smaller, bite-sized portions. Aim for 32 pieces. In that case, you could halve the above nutrition information for one piece.

Whipped cream is not included in the above nutrition info.

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Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars

The flavor of pumpkin pie, but easier to make with a graham cracker crust, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars are the perfect end to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Cooling Time3 hrs

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 16

Calories: 260kcal

Cook ModeKeep your screen on

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 16 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces (Use Gluten Free graham crackers to make this recipe Gluten Free)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• pinch salt
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 1 ½ cups (1 can) evaporated milk
• ½ cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups pureed winter squash (pumpkin, butternut, or acorn squash, or a mixture) (canned, or homemade)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Cheesecake Swirl

• 4 ounces Neufchatel or light cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

• Heat oven to 325°F. Add broken graham crackers, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until graham crackers form crumbs. Add the butter and continue to process until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press crumb mix firmly into the bottom of a 9x11 inch baking pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until it turns golden brown and becomes fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.

Cheesecake Swirl

• In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• Whisk together the evaporated milk, milk, eggs, yolks and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside. 
• In a large saucepan, heat the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to simmer. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens (if your puree was already very thick to start with, you can skip this step). Whisk in the milk mixture until smooth. Keep the filling mixture warm until you are ready to add it to the crust.
• Pour warm pumpkin pie filling over the prepared graham cracker crust. Carefully drizzle the cheesecake swirl in vertical and horizontal lines through the pumpkin pie filling. Use a skewer or chopstick to gently swirl the two together, being careful not to disrupt the crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 300°F. Continue baking for another 35 minutes, then check the temperature of the center of the filling with an instant read thermometer. If it has reached 175°F, it is done. If not, continue baking, and checking the temperature at 5 minute intervals, removing the baking pan when it reaches 175°F. 
• Cool on a cooling rack for 2-3 hours before serving. Cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bar | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 330mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g

Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.

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