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If there was ever a recipe that screams fall, it’s these Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars with Vanilla Espresso Glaze. Made with nutty browned butter, cinnamon, spiced pumpkin butter, and white chocolate. Then generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy vanilla espresso glaze. There’s really nothing not to love about these autumn-spiced pumpkin bars. The true secret? Brown butter, brown sugar, and sweet pumpkin butter. They keep these bars incredibly flavorful, soft, gooey, and so delicious. These bars require so little effort to make. They’re salty-sweet, heavy on the pumpkin butter, and every last bite is truly delicious.
Do you visit Trader Joe’s often? If you do, have you seen their Pumpkin Blondie Brownies? Well, it’s that sweet dessert that inspired me to make these bars.
To be honest, the name, Pumpkin Blondie Brownies, is what excited me most. It caught my attention and made me want to recreate the blondie brownies at home. But then I started working on them. I quickly realized that there was no way to make a pumpkin brownie blondie. It’s either one or the other.
And that’s when I scratched the original concept and made these.
And I LOVE these. They took me a while to perfect, but these are so GOOD.
Here are details
These are not your average pumpkin bar, which honestly, I can find a little boring. These are not boring. Think of them like a pumpkin latte with brown sugar syrup and a couple of espresso shots.
There’s also browned butter, spiced pumpkin butter, and white chocolate too. So much pumpkin flavor with the concentrated pumpkin butter.
Start out by browning salted butter in a saucepan on the stove. Browning the butter really adds a rich nutty flavor to these bars and makes them just a touch cozier. Perfect as we head into the cooler, shorter days of autumn. Once the butter is browned, remove it from the stove, and dump in all of the remaining ingredients.
Brown sugar, pumpkin butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and spices (lots of cinnamon). Then stir in the white chocolate chips. Or go for semi-sweet/dark chocolate. Either is delicious!
This makes up the dough. Pretty simple.
Spread the dough out into a pan, then bake. As the bars bake away, you’ll have incredible wafts of cinnamon, pumpkin, and butter in the air. It’s the coziest smell, especially on a dreary cold day.
For the pumpkin butter, I used my 6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter, but of course, you can use store-bought pumpkin butter too. Be sure to use pumpkin butter and not canned pumpkin puree.
I took inspiration from my pumpkin spice latte (do we need my easy homemade recipe?), and decided on a vanilla espresso glaze. It’s just some browned butter, powdered sugar, brewed espresso, and vanilla.
It’s thick, creamy, and adds the perfect amount of sweetness to each bar. The glaze seeps into every nook and cranny of the bars.
Complete perfection. Tip: bake these up and enjoy them while burning my pumpkin smash candle – oh so cozy!
Looking for other sweet fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Fluffy Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Cinnamon Crunch Apple Butter Soft Pretzel Knots
Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread
6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Lastly, if you make these Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 227 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin butter
- 1/4 maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
espresso glaze
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons brewed espresso or strong coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a medium pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown, until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, pumpkin butter, maple, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish.3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until set in the center. Let cool.4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Add the butter to a small pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, espresso, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Let set for 5 minutes. Cut into bars, snack, and enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 11, 2022
These looks amazing! Trying to make these a little diabetic friendly, would substituting the flour for almond flour would work?
Thanks so much Alix! I think you would have the best results using an equal amount of gluten free flour. I hope this recipe turns out delish! xx
The recipe calls for chocolate chunks. But there’s no mention in the directions as to when add the chocolate.
Hey Rene,
So sorry for any confusion, the white chocolate will be added in step 2. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Oh my. So delicious. Easy to make. Add the white chocolate chips at the end and sprinkle some on top!
Hey Mary Ann,
Happy Wednesday!👻 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
These look really tasty! I wonder if they’d be good baked on top of a shortbread crust?
Thanks so much Denise! I’ve not tried that with this recipe before:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try! I hope you love it! 🎃
Could I use a chai spice mix instead of the other spices? If so, would you suggest maybe a tablespoon of the chai spice mix? Thank you!
Hey Emily,
I’ve not tested this recipe using chai spices, but you could use them to your liking:) I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I’d like to subscribe to your site
Hi Joe!
You can sign up for emails, newsletters, etc on the homepage in the bottom right corner:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Making now with my 2 granddaughters!
Do you have a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice? I know you use pre-made but would love your creative input on a combo.
Thanks…. Love your recipes…
P.S. Canned chickpeas are now a staple in my pantry 😉
Thanks so much Tara!! So sorry, I don’t! But great idea! I hope your granddaughters love these bars! Let me know how they turn out! xx
Am I missing something? I see white chocolate chips in the ingredients, but don’t see it included in the instructions. Also, would regular choc chips work too?
In the post (not the recipe), you’ll see she says to add the chocolate chips as the last step before baking. She also mentions you can use any type of chocolate chip – white or otherwise!
Hey Collette,
Yes, so sorry about that, they will get folded into the batter, fixing now! Sure, you could user regular chocolate chips too. I hope you love the recipe! xT
Mmm. These sound perfect. Can I make them with apple butter as I don’t have pumpkin butter on hand? I don’t mind if it tastes of apple instead of pumpkin 😋😆
Hey Afton,
If you want to use apple butter, I would use this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/brown-butter-apple-blondies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan
These sound amazing! Pinned
Thanks so much Cindy!!
Could you use apple butter with this instead of pumpkin butter?
Hey Katy,
If you want to use apple butter, you would want to follow this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/brown-butter-apple-blondies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These look delish! Could I substitute milk for the espresso, as I’m not a coffee fan at all??? Thanks!!!
I don’t do coffee either. How about apple cider??
I’m considering making it with strong tea. Maybe something with a citrus kick? Double bergamot Earl Gray would be very interesting I think!
Let me know how it turns out!
Or maple syrup
Hi Karen,
That will give an apple cider flavor if you are looking for that, if you want something more neutral, milk will work for you! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Hey Brooke,
You bet, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I feel like im missing the white chocolate in the actual steps ??
Is it just me?
That’s what I was wondering also – I assume they get stirred into the batter after the ingredients are “just combined!”
Yes, so sorry about that Hannah!!
It’s not there, but I would just fold in the white chocolate once the batter is mixed together.
Hey Leeanne,
Ooops! Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it in the recipe:) Let me know if you give the bars a try! xT
Wow, can’t wait to make these. I love your site & creativity but have to say the new shopping cart icon is really annoying. Is there a way to remove it? it impacts reading the recipe & detracts from the photos & the whole appeal of the recipe. Could it go in a less prominent spot maybe? I’m longtime follower & true fan so this is just my feedback. I think you’re fantastic.
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, sorry to hear the shopping cart is making such an impact for you! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Yes, we do need your PSL recipe. Thanks!
I agree! The Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe should come soon! I tried to find one last weekend and settled on adding the syrup from Saturday’s Jack Skellington’s cocktail to my morning coffee with some cream. Still delicious, but a PSL recipe would be very welcome!
I’m on it!!
Made these & they are quite yummy! The glaze looks nothing like the picture – just a caramel color. It puddles, but tastes good. The recipe indicates 1/4 maple syrup – I used 1/4 cup. It also says to use a baking dish (which usually means glass), but the picture shows a metal pan which I used.
Hey Sheryl,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Yes, I like to use a metal pan for most of my baking recipes:) For the icing, sounds like you may have just needed some more powdered sugar. I hope this helps! xT
Thanks Connie!! Will have to share soon:)