This is what happens when fall meets the classic magic bar dessert—a stepchild is born. Welcome my updated classic: pumpkin seven layer magic bar. While much of the classic component are there, I tweaked the flavor to reflect a pumpkin profile and since I’ve always found the classic far too sweet I took a few steps to offset it.
I started by adding shredded apples for more depth in flavor. After that I added roasted salted almonds and traded the heavy layer of chocolate for a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips.
Did it work? I think so.
If only life were this easy, right—add a little here, remove some from there and swap out one thing for another, and done. I’ve been told if life were that easy I’d bored. Here’s the thing, I don’t think so, friends. I think it would be rather nice to just throw away all my dirty clothes each week and by new rather than tether myself to home for the hours-on-hours it takes to load, transfer, fold and then put away all that stuff. And while I’m on a roll I would love to have an extension on all my late deadlines.
. . . see, I will take boredom any day. Any day.
**Recipe was modified September 2013, after several comments were left about the center not setting up. The original recipe calls for an 8×8 pan, I have since switched this recipe to be baked in a 9×13 pan to solve the “gooey center” problem**
Pumpkin 7-Layer Magic Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 whole crackers)
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 11 oz. golden delicious apples, shredded (about 2 regular size apples)
- 11/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup salted almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Create a foil sling with a 1 inch over hang in a 9x13 pan..
- Combine graham crackers and butter and stir until well blended. Press mixture onto bottom of pan
- Combine sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and stir until well combined. Pour mixture over graham cracker crust.
- Peel and core apples. Use the large side of the grating box to shred the apples. Layer shredded apples on the sweetened sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle on chocolate chips, followed by the almonds and then finish by sprinkling coconut on top.
- Place assembled pan in the oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes. Let cool in pan completely and then transfer finished pan to the refrigerator to chill before cutting.
Notes
A few notes:
- You can easily switch out the pumpkin for apple butter to keep the fall flavor.
- I used Blue Diamonds roasted salted almonds for the nut portion, but feel to switch that out to any nut that suits your preference.
- The apples are not necessary, but again, I added them to scale back the sweetness and to add a slight fruity bite.
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