Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars with a Gluten-Free Shortbread Crust
Serves 1220 mins prep80 mins cook
Creamy pumpkin filling tops buttery shortbread crust for an effortless fall dessert that’s both vegan and gluten-free! Your guests will never guess that the secret ingredient is Hodo extra-firm tofu, which gives the bars body and helps them set. Bake up a batch to share or hoard them all to yourself.
0 servings
What you need
Instructions
0 Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch square baking pan (or a 9x9-inch pan for thinner bars) with a sheet of parchment paper (shove it in and fold the corners over themselves so that the bottom and all sides are covered). 1 Make the crust dough as directed, press it into the bottom of the pan in an even layer, using a flat bottomed glass to make it smooth. Bake the crust until golden and puffed, 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and while it’s still warm, press the crust down with the back of a large spoon (this step helps the crust hold together when cut, so don’t skip it!) 2 In the bowl of a high-speed blender, combine the tofu, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut milk, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. 3 Blend on medium until very smooth, 1-2 minutes. 4 Pour the filling mixture over the parbaked crust and spread it into an even layer. 5 Bake the bars until the edges are cracked, the bars are puffed, the center is matte, and the filling is set when you give the pan a wiggle, 40-50 minutes. 6 Cool the bars to room temperature, 1-2 hours, then chill until firm, as least 2 hours and up to 2 or 3 days. 7 Use the parchment handles to lift the bar out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife wiped clean between cuts to trim the outer edges away, then slice the bars into 12 pieces. 8 Serve the bars with the toppings of your choice.View original recipe