It was like love at first sight when I saw senior Sarah Melendez’s Vegan Pumpkin Bars. With such a curiosity as to how they might taste, I took a bite and within seconds, the rest of them were nowhere to be found. It’s a delicious treat that can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. Vegan or not, this recipe is a great way to try something new and a perfect way to celebrate fall.
Here is the sought-after recipe:
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yields: 16 pumpkin bars
Ingredients:
Gingersnap Crust:
1 ½ cups of crumbled ginger snap cookies
3 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons of melted butter (non-dairy/vegan substitute if wanted like Earth Balance)
* (If you prefer having a lot of crust, double the proportions)*
Pumpkin Bars:
⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 tbsps of applesauce (if mixture becomes too dry you can add more) or 2 egg/egg replacer
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup of canned solid pack pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix
Icing (if wanted) options:
a store bought vanilla or cream cheese frosting
Homemade Vanilla Frosting :
¼-1 cup of softened butter (vegan substitute if wanted)
1-3 cups of confectioners/powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
optional: a dash of salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
¼-1 cup of softened cream cheese (vegan substitute if wanted)
1-3 cups of confectioners/powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1-4 teaspoons of lemon juice (if you don’t have cream cheese)
optional: a dash of salt, and ¼ cup of cream cheese (vegan if wanted)
*You can always change up the recipe until you like it*
Preparations:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. For the gingerbread crust, mix together the crumbled gingersnaps, brown sugar, and butter in a medium sized bowl, using a fork. Press mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan and place in the refrigerator while you make the pumpkin bar mixture.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. In a separate medium-large sized bowl the egg (or egg replacer) or applesauce, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice mix until smooth. Stir in the the reserved flour mixture until everything is incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and spread the pumpkin bar batter over the crust.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean.
When finished, let cool completely and cut into bars. Garnish with icing and a sprinkle of cinnamon or desired spice.
