Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe {with Streusel Topping}

Name: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe {with Streusel Topping}
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs about 22 cookies (may sub Gingersnaps, Graham Crackers or other spiced or butter cookie); 2 Tablespoons cane sugar; 1/4 cup butter melted; 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats; 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar packed; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup butter cubed, softened; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 oz full-fat cream cream softened (may sub Neufchatel or low-fat); 1/2 cup cane sugar graunlated; 3 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling; 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt regular yogurt, plant based or sour cream may be substituted; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*; 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves nutmeg and ginger*

by Kathleen | The Fresh Cooky

12 -16 bars

1 hr 25 min

It’s finally time to bring out the fall decorations and make my mouth-watering Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars recipe. Even though you can enjoy these any time of the year, I love to make them when there’s a chill in the air and the leaves are turning colors. Three decadent layers with huge pumpkin spice flavor, they are like pumpkin pie bars on steroids!

Want to take them over the top? Then be sure to drizzle some of this brown butter glaze, using the maple option for the ultimate fall treat!

Pumpkin Streusel bar with brown butter glaze on top.

Primary Ingredients

All ingredients, measurements and instructions are in the handy printable recipe card at the end of the post!

Biscoff Cookie Crust Ingredients

First we’ll start off with the Biscoff cookie crust, the cornerstone for these pumpkin bars.

Biscoff Cookies | If you don’t have Biscoff cookies, Speculoos or other Gingersnap type cookies work for this crust.
Butter & Sugar |You do not need much to make this spicy, crispy, delicious crust!

pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe with streusel topping, Ingredient shot for Biscoff Cookie Crust L R crushed biscoff cookies melted butter sugar

Ingredient shot for Biscoff Cookie Crust L-R crushed biscoff cookies, melted butter, sugar.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling Ingredients

pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe with streusel topping, Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars ingredients L R Pumpkin Puree Cinnamon nutmeg cloves ginger vanilla extract cream cheese eggs Greek yogurt and sugar

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars ingredients L-R Pumpkin Puree, Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, vanilla extract, cream cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt and sugar.

Pumpkin Puree | Check the label carefully—you want puree and not pie filling, which has extra sugar and spices.
Cream Cheese | I used full-fat cream cheese, but you could also use Neufchatel cheese for a bit lighter
Sugar | I prefer to use organic pure cane sugar, but feel free to use regular white granulated sugar instead.
Greek Yogurt | This is my secret, healthy ingredient to make the filling lighter! Plain yogurt, sour cream, or a plant-based alternative all make great substitutes.
Eggs | I use large eggs in all of my baking.
Spices | The aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger will tantalize you, or make your own pumpkin pie spice.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

Rolled Oats, Dark or Light Brown Sugar, Flour, Butter and Salt is all you need for an amazing streusel topping!

Pumpkin streusel topping ingredients L-R Flour, Brown Sugar, Rolled Oats, cinnamon and butter.

How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Streusel

Step One | Make the Biscoff Cookie Crust

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides.
Crush Biscoff cookies in freezer baggie, using a rolling pin or whir for a few seconds in a food processor.
Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press it into your baking pan. Bake in 325 degree preheated oven for 10 minutes, while you prepare filling. Remove and set aside.

Mix sugar into cookie crumbs

Add melted butter, mix well

Press into prepared baking dish

Step Two | Make Streusel Topping

In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter, and salt for the streusel topping, squishing together with hands or spoon.
Place it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.

Add oats, brown sugar, spices and salt

Dump in cubed soft butter

Mix with hands or spoon until combined

Step Three | Making the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar filling

Whipped cream cheese and sugar

Add eggs one at a time, beat well

Add vanilla, pumpkin

Adding yogurt

Add cinnamon and spices

Pouring pumpkin filling into baked crust

Step Four | Adding Streusel Topping

Drizzling browned butter icing on top of pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe.

Variations

GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN BARS | For gluten free pumpkin bars, substitute GF butter cookies or try using GF Graham Crackers. Almond flour or other GF flours works for the topping. And don’t forget to use GF oats. The GF option is so yummy!
VEGAN PUMPKIN BARS | For a vegan version of healthy pumpkin bars, substitute cashew cream for cream cheese and cashew sour cream for yogurt. Good egg substitutions include Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer or ½ a banana per egg.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Streusel bars with whipped cream and fresh nutmeg.

Storage

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, overnight in fridge. Glaze just before serving.

pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe with streusel topping, Fork bite removed from Pumpkin Streusel bar on parchment paper with rest of bars in background

Fork bite removed from Pumpkin Streusel bar on parchment paper with rest of bars in background.

Full details and recipe on the blog post.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe {with Streusel Topping}

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Recipe details

Yield 12 -16 bars
Time spent: Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 55 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 25 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

Biscoff Cookie Crust

1 1/4 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs about 22 cookies (may sub Gingersnaps, Graham Crackers or other spiced or butter cookie)
2 Tablespoons cane sugar
1/4 cup butter melted

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter cubed, softened
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

8 oz full-fat cream cream softened (may sub Neufchatel or low-fat)
1/2 cup cane sugar graunlated
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt regular yogurt, plant based or sour cream may be substituted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves nutmeg and ginger*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F degrees, line the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leave enough to hang over the sides.
Make the Streusel
In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt, toss to combine. Add softened cubed butter, and using your hands or a fork, smoosh together until mixed. Place container in freezer while preparing the pumpkin squares.
Make the crust
Combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in medium bowl. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. The crust will be thick, thicker if you use an 8” pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325, once finished, remove from oven and INCREASE the temperature to 350 degrees.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until light, creamy and smooth, about a minute. With mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.
On medium speed, beat in vanilla, pumpkin, yogurt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Continue mixing until combined and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mixture will be on the thin side. Pour mixture over the hot Biscoff cookie crust and place in oven.
In order to prevent your streusel from sinking, bake pumpkin bars for 20-25 minutes, then remove and crumble streusel topping over the top. Continue baking for 25-40 additional minutes. The bars are done with when the edges are lightly browned and the center is set, cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly before setting.
Cool on wire rack for 1 hour (important), then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3 more hours or overnight. When ready to slice and serve, using the parchment paper lift the bars onto a cutting board and slice into 8 or 16 squares. If desired, drizzle bars with brown butter glaze .
This recipe easily doubles for a 9×13 inch pan, you may need to bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Tips

*Replace Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves and Ginger with 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Graham Cracker Crust | Use the graham cracker crust from my Key Lime Pie, it's perfectly sized!
Prevent Streusel from Sinking | Prevent sinking by adding the topping over the filling mid-way through baking. Or, increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees for the first 5 minutes to set the filling before it rises too high.
DOUBLE RECIPE | This recipe easily doubles to feed your Thanksgiving guests! Make in a 9×13 inch pan and bake the bars at 325 for 55-65 minutes until firm. Be sure to add the streusel topping half way through.
TIP | Store your pumpkin cream cheese bars with a few saltine crackers to absorb moisture. It’s amazing how well this works!
GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN BARS | Substitute GF butter cookies or try using GF Graham Crackers. Almond flour or other GF flours works for the topping. And don’t forget to use GF oats. The GF option is so yummy!
VEGAN PUMPKIN BARS | For a vegan version of healthy pumpkin bars, substitute cashew cream for cream cheese and cashew sour cream for yogurt. Good egg substitutions include Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer or ½ a banana per egg.

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