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These Pumpkin Gooey Bars are an easy gooey bar recipe that starts with a cake mix and has all the pumpkin and fall spices flavors! So, if you want the perfect fall dessert bar, look no further than these fantastic pumpkin bars.
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Why You’ll LOVE Pumpkin Gooey Bars
These ooey-gooey pumpkin bars are my favorite gooey bar yet! Pumpkin, spices, and toffee make these the best fall dessert, and it’s gooey delicious. You guys know me – I have to have a gooey bar for every season! Okay, maybe I have to have several for every season!
These gooey pumpkin squares are the best way to get into the fall spirit. Every bite just tastes like fall!
As usual, these start with a cake mix. Instead of using butter, I used pumpkin puree. The bars are layered with sweetened condensed milk, which makes these soft and gooey bars. I also add chopped nuts to give them a little crunch.
If you are new to the gooey bar experience, I am very excited for you! Gooey bars are so easy to make and are just what they sound like – dessert bars that are ooey-gooey! I’ve made countless gooey bar recipes over the years, and each new version becomes a favorite. I love them all!
You will love them, too, and there’s no better way to celebrate fall than with a pan of these sweet, delicious gooey pumpkin cake bars. You are going to love them!
Ingredients in EASY Gooey Bars
Yellow Cake Mix: Use any brand you like, just make sure the box is about 15.25 ounces (that seems to be standard these days).
Pumpkin Puree: Be sure not to get pumpkin pie mix, just plain pumpkin puree.
Egg: Be sure to buy large eggs.
Pumpkin pie spice: Adds tons of flavor!
All-Purpose Flour: Just need to add a little extra flour to the recipe.
Nuts: Chopped pecans add crunch!
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Use regular or fat-free. Be sure to measure it correctly as specified in the recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Gooey Bars
- Pan: Line a 9” square baking pan with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix Dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the cake mix, pumpkin, egg, pumpkin pie spice, and flour. The batter will be gooey.
- Sticky Dough Tip: The batter will be sticky, so spray your hands with cooking spray before pressing half of the batter into the pan.
- Assemble: Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of the bottom layer. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the nuts. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter evenly over the top of the bars. Respray your hands and press gently press the batter into an even layer.
- Bake: Bake the bars for about 25 minutes or until they are golden around the edges. Cool them completely before slicing.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Tip for Condensed Milk: Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray to make it easier to pour the milk out. Also, you can freeze the leftover milk to use later in another recipe.
Sticky Dough Tip: Spray your hands with cooking spray so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
Mix-Ins: Toffee bits work really well in these bars, so feel free to sprinkle some over the nuts! Or try using chocolate chips – any type will work! You can also leave out the pecans or swap them for another kind of nut like chopped walnuts.
How they look: They don’t look like a normal gooey bar or cake bar on top because there is no oil in the recipe. That doesn’t affect the flavor though!
Cooling Tip: To speed up the cooling process, place the pan in the refrigerator before slicing the bars. These gooey pumpkin bars are destined to be your new favorite fall dessert! Just fair warning, you may want to hide them in the freezer like I do – otherwise, they don’t tend to last long.
Storing: Store on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days or you can freeze gooey bars for up to 3 months.
More Pumpkin Recipes To Try This Fall
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Pumpkin Gooey Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup (62g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (53g) chopped pecans
- ½ cup (75g) toffee bits (bits 'o brickle or similar)
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk (measured in a liquid measuring cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.
- Mix cake mix, pumpkin, egg, pumpkin pie spice, and flour with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Batter will be gooey.
- Press half the batter into the prepared pan. I found it easier to spray my hands with cooking spray before pressing so the batter wouldn’t stick to my hands.
- Sprinkle pecans and toffee bits over the top of the bottom layer. Pour sweetened condensed milk over evenly over the nuts and toffee bits. Tip: spray your measuring cup with cooking spray, then pour the sweetened condensed milk into the cup. It will pour out easier. Note: you can transfer any leftover milk to a small sealable container and freeze until you need it again.
- Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough evenly over the top of the bars. Spray your hands again and press gently to evenly cover.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until they are golden around the edges. Cool completely before slicing. (I often refrigerate them for a few hours before cutting.)
Recipe Nutrition
I love having a gooey bar recipe for each season, insert Pumpkin Gooey Bars! Start with a cake mix, use pumpkin puree and add in some more fall spices!
I just made these and mine came out a little crusty on top and not smooth. I smoothed the top out with my fingers as much as I could, thinking that the oven would take care of the rest but the dough actually held it’s shape and had crusty little peaks. What did I do wrong ?
I’m not sure exactly Charlene. What brand of pumpkin did you use? Possibly the mixture needed a little more moisture. Do you have an oven thermometer? Possibly your oven is running a little hotter than normal? Once they cool it may set down a bit. I’m sure they’ll still taste good! If you’re worried about how the top looks you could add a little powdered sugar/milk glaze or sprinkle with toffee bits if it’s still hot.
Hi Dorothy, I recently had a wonderful desert that i feel in love with. it was a sweet potato filling in on top a crust that was made out of yellow butter cake mix. it taste just like grahm cracker except it was a soft crust. i have tried to make it several times i never seem to get the crust right. you would never imagine that the crust was made from cake mix. can you tell me how to get that same texture and taste. my crust rises and taste to cakie.
This recipe sounds incredible (and as an added bonus uses up my leftover condensed milk & pumpkin). I have a question though, I’m not a fan of nuts in my desserts. Can I sub something? Leave them out? Suggestions??? Thanks!
You can totally leave them out Kym! If you want to sub something, add more toffee! 🙂
I was just wondering how you would adjust this recipe for a 9×13? I’d love to make them for thanksgiving but a 9×9 just wouldn’t be enough 😉
You can make the recipe only doubling the sweetened condensed milk, white chips and toffee bits, but they will be thinner. (The original gooey cake bar recipes uses one cake mix for a 9×13″ pan.) I like my bars thick, so if you do that, you can double it all. It will affect baking time however!
The batter will literally stick to your fingers unless you spray down the entire batter with cooking spray Other than that, it’s all good.
They’re baking in the oven as we speak. Hoping they turn out good! 🙂
Yep – that’s for sure! All my gooey bars are like that. Great tip! 🙂
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