Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars

Yields: 12 Servings

Recipe, Photo, & Styling by Alanna Taylor-Tobin | The Bojon Gourmet

Creamy pumpkin filling tops buttery shortbread crust for a fall dessert that’s both vegan and gluten-free! Your guests will never guess that the secret ingredient is Hodo Extra Firm Tofu, which gives the bars body and helps them set. Bake up a batch to share or hoard them all to yourself.

This recipe was originally published on bojongourmet.com.

---

Ingredients

• 1/2 (5 oz) block Hodo Organic Extra Firm Tofu, in large crumbles (about 1 cup lightly packed) Locate Product →

• 1 batch gluten-free shortbread crust made with vegan butter and coconut sugar

• 1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin puree or (preferably) a scant 2 cups homemade winter squash puree 

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or maple sugar for brighter color)

• 1 cup well-combined full-fat canned coconut milk 

• 1/4 cup cornstarch 

• 1 tbsp golden pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For Serving

• Whipped coconut cream, store bought non-dairy whipped topping, or rich coconut yogurt such as Culina or Cocojune 

• Toasted pecans

• Freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon sprinkle

• Flaky salt

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch square baking pan (or a 9x9-inch pan for thinner bars) with a sheet of parchment paper (shove it in and fold the corners over themselves so that the bottom and all sides are covered).

2. Make the crust dough as directed, press it into the bottom of the pan in an even layer, using a flat bottomed glass to make it smooth. Bake the crust until golden and puffed, 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and while it’s still warm, press the crust down with the back of a large spoon (this step helps the crust hold together when cut, so don’t skip it!)

3. In the bowl of a high-speed blender, combine the tofu, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut milk, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. 

4. Blend on medium until very smooth, 1-2 minutes. 

5. Pour the filling mixture over the parbaked crust and spread it into an even layer. 

6. Bake the bars until the edges are cracked, the bars are puffed, the center is matte, and the filling is set when you give the pan a wiggle, 40-50 minutes. 

7. Cool the bars to room temperature, 1-2 hours, then chill until firm, as least 2 hours and up to 2 or 3 days. 

8. Use the parchment handles to lift the bar out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife wiped clean between cuts to trim the outer edges away, then slice the bars into 12 pieces. 

9. Serve the bars with the toppings of your choice.

Make-ahead

• The crust dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. 

• The crust can be baked up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated until needed.

• The filling can be pureed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated until needed.

• The bars can be baked up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated until needed. I actually like them best the day after baking as the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie or Tart

• Prepare the crust in a 9-inch round pie pan or tart pan and proceed with the recipe. Or use my gluten-free flaky pie crust or almond flour pie crust, parbaked, for a more traditional vegan pumpkin pie.

Nut-Free

• Omit the almond flour in the crust and use and equal amount (by weight) of finely ground pumpkin seeds instead.