Seeking Sweetness in Everyday Life - CakeSpy - Raising the Bar: Pumpkin Nutella Bars Recipe

Raising the Bar: Pumpkin Nutella Bars Recipe

Sunday, October 21, 2012

I received this message from CakeSpy reader Jill S., who is currently ranking high on my list of favorite people:

I have come up with a pretty awesome recipe that I wanted to share with you! It's pumpkin baking season, and I love pumpkin, but I adore Nutella -- and I wanted a way to combine the two of them. I've seen pumpkin recipes with Nutella fillings and toppings, and I like to spread it on pumpkin bread, but I never saw anything that actually stirred them together as an ingredient. And then I made it all fancy, too. ;) So, here is my invention: Pumpkin Nutella Bars! I hope you enjoy!

Jill, I do enjoy. And you can, too! Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Nutella Bars

Crust

1/2 cup toasted, salted pumpkin seeds, crushed in a food processor
One 8.8 oz package Biscoff cookies, crushed in a food processor
½ cup butter, melted

Procedure: Press into a 9x13-inch pan. Bake 12-13 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Filling

One 15 oz. can pumpkin + 1 Tbsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ginger + 1 tsp allspice + fresh grated nutmeg to taste (all of these to taste, really)
1/4 cup brown sugar
12 oz Nutella

Procedure: Cook pumpkin, sugar, and spices on low heat 30-40 minutes until dark orange and reduced to about 60-70% of original volume. (This is pumpkin butter, and it tastes great on its own as a spread or topping!) When slightly cooled, stir in Nutella Spread cooled filling mixture over cooled crust, refrigerate while you make the ganache.

Ganache

2/3 cup heavy cream
7-8 ounces dark chocolate

Procedure: Heat cream to a simmer, stir in chocolate and let stand. When the chocolate has melted, stir and allow to cool. Spread over the filling and sprinkle with topping.