Pumpkin Magic Bars
If you are looking for a deliciously easy Fall dessert, you can’t go wrong with these Pumpkin Magic Bars. Layers of goodness and flavor throughout every bite!
THE BEST PUMPKIN BAR RECIPE
Bars are so fun to make, you can pretty much make so many different flavors combinations just by using a base recipe. If you enjoy the texture and flavor of the classic Magic Bars, then you have to try these Pumpkin Magic Bars. Filled with delicious pumpkin flavor with butterscotch chips, pecans, toffee bits and sweetened condensed milk added. Everything about these bars works together so nicely. You get a slightly crunchy but gooey bar that is combined with all of our favorite fall flavors. Not to mention, these Pumpkin Magic Bars slice up beautifully for serving.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I did some investigating into this name. From what I’ve read, the name was first introduced by Eagle Brand condensed milk company. The recipe was printed on the back of the cans and the name apparently was created by Gail Borden, the owner of the company.
These bars then became known by other names. Presumably by other companies who wanted to profit off their popularity but couldn’t call it the same name: Hello Dolly Bars (named after a popular musical at the time) and Seven Layer Bars are all names created by competing condensed milk companies. So you may know these bars by one of those other names.
Yes. The original recipe for Magic Bars includes shredded sweetened coconut. I did not add it to this recipe for obvious reasons. I didn’t think the flavor would work well with the pumpkin. So these bars are technically 6 layers instead of the traditional 7 layers.
No, traditionally butterscotch bars are in Magic Bars but you can swap them out for regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or if you can find the Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips, those would be excellent as well.
Yes! This is an important step, they need to cool completely so everything can come together and they are not super gooey when you cut into them. We want a bar that holds together nicely so cooling helps with this.
For this recipe. You want to only use canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has all those extra ingredients we want for this to help it set up.
Nope! Since this is going right back in the oven you are free to add the ingredients right away. The crust just needed a little extra time to bake and set up before adding everything else.
Absolutely! Just leave out the additional salt that is in this recipe. Pretty much any baking recipe that calls for unsalted butter can be replaced with salted butter. You just will skip any additional salt that is listed in that recipe.
Just use a 9″ square baking dish. They will be slightly thicker but not by much. Keep an eye on baking time as well since you may need to add on a couple more minutes for it to be completely set.
Since these contain pumpkin pie filling, it is best that they are refrigerated. You can cover them in the pan or place in an airtight container and they will keep for up to 1 week. These can also be frozen. To do that, individually wrap the bars and then place in a freezer bag where they will keep frozen for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator then let come to room temperature before consuming.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- pumpkin pie spice
- salt
- pumpkin pie filling
- butterscotch chips
- toffee bits
- pecans
- sweetened condensed milk
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN MAGIC BARS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11×7 baking dish with foil and spray it with cooking spray, set aside. In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy(about 2 minutes).
Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, mix it in until combined with no dry patches.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes until it no longer looks raw and is lightly browned.
Spread the pumpkin pie filling on top.
Layer the butterscotch chips, then the toffee bits, then the pecans.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk on top and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until browned on top.
Let the bars cool in the pan completely.
Once they are completely cool, cut them into bars.
Store in the refrigerator until serving.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Pumpkin Magic Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of salt (regular table salt)
For the toppings:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin pie filling
- 11 ounce bag of butterscotch chips
- 1 cup toffee bits
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11×7-inch baking dish with foil and spray it with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt and mix it in until combined with no dry patches.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes until it no longer looks raw and is lightly browned.
- Spread 1 cup canned pumpkin pie filling on top.
- Layer 11 ounce bag of butterscotch chips, then 1 cup toffee bits, then 2 cups chopped pecans.
- Pour the 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk on top and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until browned on top.
- Let the bars cool in the pan completely.
- Once they are completely cool, cut them into bars. Store in the refrigerator until serving.
Notes
- You can substitute the butterscotch chips with semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or cinnamon chips if you’d like.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Make sure you use pumpkin pie filling and not pumpkin puree.
- These need to be fully cooled before cutting so they have time to finish setting up.
- A 9″ square pan can be substituted for the 11″x 7″ pan (cooking time will need to be slightly adjusted. Keep an eye and make sure your bars are fully set).
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Taste great! They just never set up to eat like a bar. Daughter suggested using as an ice cream topper which would be great. Did anyone else have this problem?
Hmmm…did you maybe use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk? The cans look similar so it’s easily confused. Or did you not allow them to cool completely? That’s all I can think of because the bars should be pretty much set right after baking and they continue to set even more after they’ve cooled completely. I think an ice cream topping would be awesome though!
Been thinking about it. I used a 9×9 pan. Cooked for over an hour to try to get to set up. Probably because I didn’t use the first stated pan size. Don’t let this keep anyone from baking these. The flavor is fantastic and will try again in a larger pan.