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.
Topping
- 1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp toasted salted pumpkin seeds
Procedure: Sprinkle topping over ganache; refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing into squares.
Now, eat them all!