PUMPKIN PECAN CHEESECAKE COOKIE BARS

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Cookie Bars image

With a tender pumpkin spiced cookie base, sweetened cream cheese filling and a topping inspired by pecan pie, these pumpkin cheesecake bars are strong contenders for the ultimate fall dessert! (And we haven't even gotten to the whipped cream, caramel and pecan garnish!) For all that dessert, you might be thinking this recipe is bound to be complicated, but we'd like to relieve you of that worry right now. This treat employs several clever shortcuts, which keep the prep time down under a half hour. So next time you can't decide between pumpkin bars, cheesecake or pecan pie, make this powerhouse recipe!

Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories Dessert

Time 3h35m

Yield 18

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel topping, whipped cream and pecan halves, if desired

Steps:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, mix cookie mix and pumpkin pie spice. Add 1/2 cup cold butter and the pumpkin; mix with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Press in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another large bowl, beat Cream Cheese Layer ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spoon over cookie base, and carefully spread to cover.
For Pecan Pie Layer, in large bowl, stir together 1/3 cup melted butter, the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and 3 eggs until well blended. Stir in pecans, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the salt. Pour evenly over cream cheese layer.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. To serve, cut into 6 rows by 3 rows. Drizzle each serving with caramel topping, and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a pecan half. Drizzle whipped cream with a small amount of caramel.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 440, Carbohydrate 45 g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Fat 5, Fiber 1 g, Protein 5 g, SaturatedFat 12 g, ServingSize 1 Bar, Sodium 320 mg, Sugar 32 g, TransFat 1/2 g