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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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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
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
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin butter
- 1/4 maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
espresso glaze
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons brewed espresso or strong coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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!
I just made these bars for my small group tomorrow! Fingers crossed that they like them! I know this is a dumb question, but do I put the glaze on when they’re warm or when they’re cool? Sorry for the ignorant question, but I don’t want to mess these bars up. I’m making your apple cider doughnut cake tomorrow for Sunday dessert, a tradition in our house, and I can’t wait to try it. Abigail
Hey Abigail,
Thanks for making the recipe!! You can wait until the bars are cooled to add the glaze:) I hope they are delish! xT
I found this recipe on instagram, and I made these with a salted caramel Vermont maple syrup and the stonewall kitchen maple pumpkin butter and wow amazing!! I’ll be making these all fall/winter long!
Hey Mary,
Happy Sunday!! I truly appreciate you giving this a try and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
Just made these and taste great! Definitely more of a cake texture – my batter may have been too thin although followed recipe to a T. Next time I will try to do 1 egg and 1/2 tsp of baking powder as others have suggested. Also maybe less espresso to get the color right on the glaze without having to use more powdered sugar. Excited to bring these to a party tomorrow!
Hey Shelby,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Let me know if you make any adjustments and what works well for you! Have a great weekend:)
This recipe was delicious but my bars ended up with more of a pumpkin bread/cake consistency vs a bar. I cooked this recipe up in Vail and baked the bars in the oven for 27 minutes. Do you suggest removing the baking soda/powder when baking at higher altitudes or have any other recommendations? Also, I followed the recipe to a tee but my glaze turned out to be more of a brown color vs the white showcased in your pictures. Not sure if you have any suggestions on that end? Thanks!
Hey Remy,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I would just reduce the baking powder/soda and then try adding more powdered sugar to the glaze. I hope this helps! xx
These are soooooo good! How did I live without these?!!! Easy to follow recipe. Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Kathy,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed these bars, thanks so much for making them! xT
Just made these. Had made the pumpkin butter earlier and used some of it in a latte and on waffles.
These bars were super easy to make and are beyond delicious! So moist and flavorful. I made them in two square baking dishes so I can freeze one pan’s worth for Thanksgiving. Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Nancy,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
These were tasty but I won’t make them again. When was I supposed to add the white chocolate chips, btw? I didn’t see it in the recipe. But the biggest problem for me was cutting them. They stuck to my knife and were too crumbly.
Hi Liz,
So sorry to hear these were not enjoyed. The white chocolate is added in step 2:) Please let me know if I can help with anything else! xx
Amazing. Unreal. Insane. I am obsessed with these. I asked earlier about one of the foil pans but I ended up just getting a metal one since it wasn’t much more pricey. I’m glad I did because I will be making these every day of my life now. They are SOO GOOOOOOD. Not too sweet, just amazing! I was super nervous about the cake texture because I hate cake (specifically because of the texture), so I used the metal pan and went by Hayley’s comment of using 1 egg and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Also added around another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the glaze. Perfection! The only recipe I’ve ever made that ended up looking exactly like the photo. And honestly they taste even better than I imagined. Had one when I made them last night and then one immediately when I woke up this morning and they were still perfect. THANK YOU for creating this recipe!!
Hey Tori,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
I just made these a snuck a piece for myself. Sooo good!!! Next time I make them I think I’m going to add some walnuts or something to add a little texture. These are DELICIOUS!!!
Hey Lori,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Made these and they taste delish but are more cakey in texture than the ones pictured. Wondering what I did wrong. 🤔
Same for me. They’re still delicious but we’re definitely more cake like.
Hey Dana,
Sorry glad you enjoyed the flavors here! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? You could try reducing the baking soda and powder next time for a less cake-y texture. I hope this helps! xT
Thank you, Tieghan! I read the comment after mine about the metal pan. Maybe that was my problem. I used a glass pan (oops) but good idea about reducing the baking powder or soda. I’ll certainly try again! 😅
Hi! I am going to make these tonight (or tomorrow), and I only have glass baking dishes that size. I was wondering if I could buy one of the foil pans in a 13×9 and would that work more like a metal pan? I kind of hate cake texture so I want to avoid that, but don’t have any room in my kitchen to buy a metal pan, haha. Thanks!
Hey Tori,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well! xT
Hi – it doesn’t specify what the measurement is for the maple syrup. Can you pls clarify?
Thank you
Hi Adriana,
You will want to use 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
These bars are crazy delicious! And the espresso glaze gives them the WOW factor!
Hey Julie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Hi Tieghan! I want to make these bars for my small group at church in a couple weeks, but one of the girls doesn’t like chocolate. Could I leave out the chunks? Also, I know this sounds really random, but what is your favorite fall treat? I’m baking a LOT on the weekends now that it’s cooler for my family, and next weekend, I’m making a sinckerdoodle cake. So what seasonal baked good do you love baking and eating in the fall? Abigail
Hey Abigail,
Yes!! You can totally skip the chocolate, no big deal:) Here are some of my fave fall recipes:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/mocha-pudding-pie/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-butter-pecan-french-toast/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chai-latte-cupcakes/
Let me know if you try any other them! xT
Thanks for replying Tieghan! Oooh, I love the chai cupcakes too! They were so moit and flavorful. Thanks for the links, and I’ll let you know if I make these bars! Abigail
Do you know of any substitutes for the pumpkin butter? If not, do you know of any way I could makes some?
Hi Rebekah,
So sorry, you will need the pumpkin butter for this recipe. Here is my homemade recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/6-ingredient-spiced-pumpkin-butter/
I hope this helps, let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
She has a recipe for pumpkin butter! In the list of ingredients you can click on the underlined “pumpkin butter” and it’ll take you to her recipe! So yummy (: I made these and the pumpkin butter in them!
Thanks so much Alisha!!
SO delicious!! I followed somebody’s advice in the comments about only using one egg and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and the consistency was moist and chewy. I also used probably about 2 cups of powdered surfer for the glaze and that seemed to get me to the right color and consistency. Very good and will be making again!
Hey Hayley,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx