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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.
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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 in a saucepan 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. Be sure to use pumpkin butter and not canned pumpkin puree.
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 adds the perfect amount of sweetness to each bar. 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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Should I store these in the fridge?
Hi there! You can store covered on the counter or in the fridge if you’d like! xT
Soo delicious! Not exactly the time of year to make a maple pumpkin dessert-but I needed to use up some pumpkin butter. These are so good. Easy recipe. Tastes like fall. Thanks for yet another awesome recipe.
Hey Jill,
Happy Sunday!💐 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
These bars are absolutely amazing. I made them just as recipe stated-except I omitted the espresso in the frosting. I also used Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter because I had it leftover from Thanksgiving. I noticed people commented that theirs came out looking like a cake-mine did too-but after they cooled and especially the next morning they looked just like the picture. They taste even better the next day.
Hey Deb,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Unfortunately I read the comments after I had already put these in the oven, so I did not see the notes about how to make these more dense. But we thought they were fantastic! I did have to add quite a bit more powdered sugar to my glaze and I sprinkled Maldon salt over the top as a finishing touch, and they were so delicious. I would make them again as is or with the suggested modification.
Hey Courtney,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I have made these three times since Thanksgiving. Every single time everyone loves these bars.
Hey Vicki,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
I made with 1 egg and 1/2tsp of baking powder as others suggested and they are SO good. I made without the icing because they were going in cookie boxes for neighbors. Great even without icing!
Hey Luisa,
Happy Friday!!☃️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
I made these as gluten free bars. They turned out to be a big hit at our Thanksgiving dinner. I will make these again. Love the flavors in these bars.
Hi Vicki,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Excited to make these! Wondering how much maple syrup (1/4 of a cup?) please let me know and thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Sydney,
Yes, for this recipe you will want to use 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
Wish I would have read the comments before trying this recipe as I would have lowered the amount of baking soda, powder, and perhaps egg. Mine came out like others have mentioned – tall and more cake like and consistency than bar. Also, not sure why but my glaze was nearly the same color as the cake/bars vs cream colored and was also more runny. Followed the recipe exactly and all ingredients were fresh. On the positive the flavor is good and we’re enjoying them nonetheless!
Hi there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love them. Sounds like your glaze just needed some more powdered sugar:) xx
Absolutely delicious and can’t wait for my family to try these tomorrow! How should they be stored? Do they need to be refrigerated?
Hey Monica,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! You can keep in airtight on the counter:) Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
These are so tasty especially since I used the cinnamon maple glaze from the apple butter bar recipe!!! I did use 1 egg, 1/2Tsp baking soda and they came out denser and very moist so I’m happy. It’s like a weird in between of a brownie cake bread thingy
Hey Mariana,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
These have such great flavor but it definitely came out with a more cake consistency like previous reviews have stated. Any recommendations for how to make it more bar like?
Hey Melina,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! You can try reducing the baking soda and powder to see if that helps! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Absolutely amazing! It filled my house with such a cozy and classic fall smell. It came out a bit like a cake/loaf, perhaps I whipped it for too long? Not sure, don’t care, because it taste so great! I will definitely make these again to try and get the bar density down! Great recipe – thank you for sharing!!
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! You could try reducing the baking powder and soda next time! xT
These had good flavor but i wish i would have adjusted the recipe! They were a bit dry and very cake like, not gooey or chewy like a brownie. Maybe less baking time and less leavening would have fixed this problem, possibly adding more fat as well. Baked for 25 min, would do less!
Hey Sophie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love them! xx
Mine came out tall like a cake also, delicious but not the chewy brownie bar consistency I was hoping for. I’ll try again tweaking the ingredients.
These are AMAZING! Wow! I did the one egg, 1/2 teaspoon of baking power and they came out perfect! Thank you so much for the absolutely delicious recipe!
Tips on storing them? Thoughts on freezing them?
Hey Ashley,
Happy Monday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad they were enjoyed:) You can keep in an airtight container on the counter and yes you can totally freeze!! xT
I am curious as to why one egg and half the amount of baking powder? For less cakey bars maybe? I want to make these but curious before I do if you would make the same way again? Any tips or advice on this?
These bars were a hit with my small group! Everyone had seconds. One girl even said I bake really well, but I give you the credit for making up this recipe. the bars made my house smell amazing! They did turn out cakey, not like a traditional bar, but they were very popular, and that’s all that matters. Thanks Tieghan! Abigail
Hey Abigail,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx