Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

A "must-have" ingredient to have around during the holidays is pumpkin.  My cupboard always has at least a couple cans of it in there from September through February.  Typically, when you think of dessert for the holidays, you think of pumpkin pie.  Sure, there are the festive cranberry desserts, homemade sugar cookies, truffles, cheesecakes and an assortment of other delicious sweet treats, but you can almost always guarantee that there will be some sort of pumpkin dessert there!  In my family, it's either pumpkin pie or pumpkin roll! 

While I love the flavor of warm pumpkin pie topped off with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm about sick of it!  So, I set out on a mission this year to find another dessert that would still carry through the pumpkin tradition but add a little something else to the table.  Boy, did I ever find it!!!  Another individual, Beantown Baker, who shares a mutual love for cooking had posted about this on an online food community we belong to and I don't know if it was the name or the picture she took (or maybe even both), but as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had found "the one!"  I had bookmarked the recipe back in the Fall and kept it in the back of my mind for the perfect opportunity to not only indulge myself, but also others on what looked (and sounded) to be a delectable treat for our tastebuds!  Chris' Christmas party for work was coming up and as soon as the email went out to determine who was making what, I immediately piped in stating that I would be bringing Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars.  They ended up being a hit not only here at home but also at the party!  The rich flavors and creamy texture was pure decadence!

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
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Ingredients - Snickerdoodle Layer
3 cups Flour
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2 cups Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup Butter, at room temperature
2 Eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Pumpkin Pie Layer
1 cup Flour
1 cup 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 Pumpkin

Cinnamon Sugar Layer
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tsp. Cinnamon

Icing
1 oz. White Chocolate, chopped
1/4 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13" pan and lay a sheet of parchment paper across the pan so it hangs slightly over the edges.  - The parchment paper is an optional step; however, it will make it much easier to get the bars out later.

To make snickerdoodle layer:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat together sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Gradually stir in the flour mixture until well-blended.  Spread into pan evenly.  - The batter will be thick like cookie batter. 

To make pumpkin pie layer:
In a large, bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix together.  Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top and making it even.  - You can use the same bowl to mix this batter as you did for the snickerdoodle layer and don't even have to rinse it out!

To make cinnamon sugar layer:
Combine cinnamon and sugar together in small bowl and sprinkle on top of the pumpkin layer.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the bars cool completely (at least 1 hour).  - You'll find that the bars will deflate a bit and remain somewhat pie-like on top.  You'll also find the edges of the bars to be more firm than the middle but are still just as good!

To make the icing:
After the bars have completely cooled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (on low heat) or in a zip-lock bag (on low power).  Stir in the pumpkin spice (or knead in if using zip-lock bag).  Using a spoon or cutting off the corner of the bag, drizzle the mixture on top of the bars in a criss-cross pattern.  Let cool for about 30 minutes or until icing hardens. 

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and set on a cutting board.  Cut into bite-size squares and store in an air-tight container.

Source: Dozen Flours