Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dream Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1-½ cups ginger snap cookies, crushed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 16-ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Mixture Layer:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
For the Topping:
- Whipped cream
- Ginger snaps, crushed
Instructions
To prepare the crust:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9 x 13-inch baking with with parchement paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the crushed ginger snap cookies with the melted butter until fully combined.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven (do not turn off the oven as it is needed later to bake the dream bars), place on a wire rack and allow it to cool.
To prepare the cream cheese layer:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract; mix until creamy and well combined.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the baked crust and spread evenly.
To prepare the pumpkin mixture layer:
- In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves; stir until fully blended.
- Spoon the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer and spread gently to create a smooth layer.
Baking instructions:
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is set and slightly firm.
- Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool to room temperature.
- Once completely cooled, place in the refrigerator for a least 2 hours before removing and slicing.
To serve:
- Just before serving, top each bar with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed ginger snaps.