These Pumpkin Chiffon Bars were not a dish I recall having at my Grandma Cole’s but the list of ingredients along with my grandma’s handwritten “excellent” at the top of the recipe card was enough to convince me to give them a try!
A pressed-in gingersnap crust is topped with a thin cheesecake-like layer and baked. Once cooled, it’s spread with a pumpkin layer infused with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg – vanilla instant pudding mix helps stabilize it, while whipped cream provides lightness. The final layer is cinnamon-infused whipped cream with a sprinkling of toasted pecans.
Every layer is perfectly infused with spices and the resulting dessert is light and airy. We could not stop snacking on it. My only change next time would be more toasted pecans on top!
This year, I’ll be skipping the boring pumpkin pie for the holidays and serving up this new autumn favorite!
About Grandma’s Excellent Files: I returned from a trip home last summer with 100s of recipes from both grandmas – some were classics I grew up with, others I’d only heard about, and others I can guarantee I’ll never attempt (looking at you pickled cow’s tongue). Over the past year, I’ve revisited these recipes and attempted to make several – occasionally resulting in failures as some key information for success that only my grandmothers knew was left off the card! I figured as I have success in the kitchen recreating these recipes I’d share them as part of Grandma’s Excellent Files – in a nod to my maternal grandma who marked her favorites with a handwritten “Excellent” at the top of the recipe cards!
Print
Pumpkin Chiffon Bars
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading…
- Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup ginger snaps crumbs (240 grams or approx. 35 Nabisco Ginger Snaps)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 3.4-ounce packages vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 8-ounce container whipped topping
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl, add 1¾ cup ginger snap crumbs and ¼ cup melted butter; stir until thoroughly combined.
Pour buttered crumbs into a 9×13 casserole dish and using your hands or a measuring cup press the crumbs into one even layer that covers the bottom of the entire dish.
In a medium bowl, add 8 ounces cream cheese, 2 large eggs, and ½ cup granulated sugar and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over the crumb mixture ensuring you cover the entire crust.
Baked for 18 to 20 minutes or until mixture sets and no longer jiggles in the center. Allow to cool completely before starting next step.
In a large bowl, combine 2 3.4-ounce packages vanilla instant pudding mix and ¾ cup whole milk and beat on medium speed until very thick. Add 1 15-ounce can of pureed pumpkin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mix until well combined and smooth. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping and spread over baked cream cheese mixture in one even layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Fold ½ teaspoon cinnamon into the remaining whipped topping and spread over pumpkin mixture in an even layer.
Sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans and refrigerate until serving.
- Prep Time: 20
- Inactive Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dessert
