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If there was ever a recipe that screams fall, it’s these Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars with Vanilla Espresso Glaze. Made with nutty browned butter, cinnamon, spiced pumpkin butter, and white chocolate. Then generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy vanilla espresso glaze. There’s really nothing not to love about these autumn-spiced pumpkin bars. The true secret? Brown butter, brown sugar, and sweet pumpkin butter. They keep these bars incredibly flavorful, soft, gooey, and so delicious. These bars require so little effort to make. They’re salty-sweet, heavy on the pumpkin butter, and every last bite is truly delicious.

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

Do you visit Trader Joe’s often? If you do, have you seen their Pumpkin Blondie Brownies? Well, it’s that sweet dessert that inspired me to make these bars.

To be honest, the name, Pumpkin Blondie Brownies, is what excited me most. It caught my attention and made me want to recreate the blondie brownies at home. But then I started working on them. I quickly realized that there was no way to make a pumpkin brownie blondie. It’s either one or the other. 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

And that’s when I scratched the original concept and made these. 

And I LOVE these. They took me a while to perfect, but these are so GOOD. 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are details 

These are not your average pumpkin bar, which honestly, I can find a little boring. These are not boring. Think of them like a pumpkin latte with brown sugar syrup and a couple of espresso shots. 

There’s also browned butter, spiced pumpkin butter, and white chocolate too. So much pumpkin flavor with the concentrated pumpkin butter. 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

Start out by browning salted butter on the stove. Browning the butter really adds a rich nutty flavor to these bars and makes them just a touch cozier. Perfect as we head into the cooler, shorter days of autumn. Once the butter is browned, remove it from the stove, and dump in all of the remaining ingredients.

Brown sugar, pumpkin butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and spices (lots of cinnamon). Then stir in the white chocolate chips. Or go for semi-sweet/dark chocolate. Either is delicious!

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

This makes up the dough. Pretty simple. 

Spread the dough out into a pan, then bake. As the bars bake away, you’ll have incredible wafts of cinnamon, pumpkin, and butter in the air. It’s the coziest smell, especially on a dreary cold day. 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

For the pumpkin butter, I used my 6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter, but of course, you can use store-bought pumpkin butter too.

I took inspiration from my pumpkin spice latte (do we need my easy homemade recipe?), and decided on a vanilla espresso glaze. It’s just some browned butter, powdered sugar, brewed espresso, and vanilla. 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

It’s thick, creamy, and makes each pumpkin bar addicting. The glaze seeps into every nook and cranny of the bars.

Complete perfection. Tip: bake these up and enjoy them while burning my pumpkin smash candle – oh so cozy! 

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other sweet fall recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

Fluffy Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Cinnamon Crunch Apple Butter Soft Pretzel Knots

Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread

6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter

Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter

Lastly, if you make these Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 227 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

espresso glaze

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
    2. Add the butter to a medium pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown, until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, pumpkin butter, maple, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish.
    3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until set in the center. Let cool.
    4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Add the butter to a small pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, espresso, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Let set for 5 minutes. Cut into bars, snack, and enjoy!
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Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. I may have found the trick to a more fudgy bar. I only put in 1/4 tsp baking powder, and then baked 25 minutes. As soon as I took them out, they looked cakey, so I took a spatula and gently smashed the top down! I also iced immediately after the smashing, so I think some of the moisture from the glaze helped. Mine turned out perfectly fudgy and everyone loves them!

    1. Hey Andrea,
      Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed:) xT

  2. These were delicious! After seeing some comments about the consistency I ended up using only 1 egg, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of baking soda and adding an extra 5-10 of bake time. It was the perfect consistency!

    I also used milk chocolate chunks because I’m a sucker for milk chocolate.

    I’ve already printed the recipe out and added it to my recipe binder- I’ll definitely be baking these again!

    1. Hey Alyssa,
      Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx

    1. Hey Dale,
      Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! You can keep them in an airtight container at room temp! Happy Halloween! 🎃

    1. Hi Sky,
      Sorry to hear this, I really have no idea why some are experiencing this and others are not, the baking soda and powder are my only guesses. Sorry for the trouble! xx

  3. I agree with the pervious comments, the flavors were great however, even after hand mixing the batter and careful not to over mix my batter, it too came out more like a cake vs cookie bar or blondie. I’m not sure how to prevent that from happening. Any advice?

    1. Hi Nina,
      Thanks for trying this recipe, sorry about the texture! Next time, I would reduce your baking powder and soda to see if that helps! Happy Halloween! xx

    1. Hi Madeline,
      Sure, that should be just fine for you to use! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT

  4. 3 stars
    The taste was good, but the texture didn’t turn out anything like a bar. My final product was more like a fluffy cake and looked nothing like the pictures. It was almost 1.5-2 inches tall. I did use a glass pan, but I don’t know why that would have affected it in that way. I also made the HBH pumpkin butter for this.

    Also, I ended up needing to add more powdered sugar to my icing! The recipe resulted in a pretty liquid icing for me!

    All in all, if you like pumpkin cake, make it! It’s just not a “bar” per say.

    1. 3 stars
      Mine turned out exactly the same. More cake-like than a bar, and I thought I did something wrong with the glaze. I added almost a whole cup more powdered sugar and it still was not white.

    2. Hi Kristen,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Next time, you could reduce the baking powder and soda and try using a metal pan, thing bake differently in glass pans:) For the icing, just add more powdered sugar as needed. I hope this helps! xT

    1. Hey Liz,
      So glad you enjoyed the bars!! Sounds like you may have just needed some more powdered sugar in your glaze. I hope this helps! xT

    2. 3 stars
      Can you adjust the recipe to remove the ‘gooey’ claim or add a modification for gooey bars? From the comments it seems these come out cakey

  5. When you make yours, does it come out more light, airy, and cakey or more dense, gooey, and blondie-like? I was expecting more blondie-like, but it came out cakey? Did I do something wrong?

    1. Hi Benji,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Mine are definitely more dense, I wouldn’t say blondie like. some factors that can affect this…the type of pan that was used to bake this and was the batter over mixed? You could try reducing your baking powder and soda next time to see if that helps! xT

  6. 5 stars
    One of the best recipes I’ve ever made! I left out the white chocolate because i didn’t have any on hand and they were excellent without it. I thought it would be too many flavors and debated doing a regular vanilla glaze but it honestly all works even with the espresso! I will definitely be making them again

    1. Hey Caroline,
      Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! 👻

    1. Hi Maria,
      Yes, but you will want to use milk in place of it. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT

      1. Made the bars and they are delicious! I love your pumpkin butter recipe too!
        I used the milk and it the glaze was a little too watery but it did harden up and still tasted good. The bars are so good I think I’d skip the glaze next time!

        1. Hey Maria,
          Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)

  7. I made this today using real Ohio maple syrup and homemade pumpkin butter. It is fabulous! I took it to work to share and 4 hours later it is about gone.

    1. Hey Mary,
      Happy Friday!🎃 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out and sharing your review! xx

  8. 5 stars
    Made these twice this week! So delicious. When I cooked for closer to 25 minutes it gave them more of a brownie texture but still cakey. Would doing without the baking powder help?

    1. Hey Danielle,
      Fantastic!! 🍁🍂 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! Sure, you could try completely committing the baking powder to see what that does! xT

        1. Hey Rebecca,
          These are just fine to make a day ahead:) No adjustments needed. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT

    2. 5 stars
      The baking powder gives it more lift! Removing it will make it less fluffy, maybe more like a chewy brownie and less cakey? Didn’t give it a try, would love to see if anyone else does!