Pumpkin Chess Bars in a Glass Dish started out as Skillet Pumpkin Chess Bars -- something I created while trying to use up dribs and drabs of ingredients. The first round was a pumpkin version of the Self Rising Flour Chess Bars scaled down and baked in a 6.5 inch cast iron skillet. We liked it so much I scaled it back up and made it again in an 8 inch square glass dish.
This easy dessert is similar to a cream cheese pumpkin muffin in cake form and a good way to use pumpkin spice. I put whole teaspoon in the crust. Also, it's not super rich. Here's what it looks like plated with some whipped cream and caramel syrup.
Pumpkin Chess Bars Notes
- To grease the baking dish, you can melt the butter in the microwave and pour it in the dish or set the dish with a chunk of butter in the oven as it preheats, then remove when butter is melted. Always set a timer so you don't forget about it!
- To make the crust, you just stir together softened butter, sugar, egg, pumpkin and self-rising flour. You can do it with a wooden spoon or a heavy duty scraper or electric mixer. If using an electric mixer, it's probably best not to beat too much air into the butter/sugar/pumpkin mixture, or it might be too light.
- To substitute all-purpose flour for self-rising, use all-purpose flour plus 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt plus a pinch (or a "generous" ¼ teaspoon.
- To make the cream cheese topping, use cream cheese that is very soft. I usually put it in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds or so, then squish it around. If the cream cheese is soft enough, you should be able to mix everything together with a spoon or scraper rather than a mixer.
- These take a while to cool, so make sure to allow plenty of time for that.
- They're great topped with maple flavored whipped cream!
- To make a 6.5 inch skillet version, just halve all the ingredients and bake in a 6.5 inch skillet.
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Recipe
Pumpkin Chess Bars
Small pumpkin cake topped with cream cheese mixture.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened plus 1 T for pan or dish (114 grams) plus more for pan
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 2 tablespoons beaten egg (25 grams)
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup self-rising flour (White Lily) (125 grams)**
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (58 grams)
- 1 cup confectioners sugar (120 grams)
- 1 large beaten egg, room temperature (25-28 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put 1 tablespoon of butter in an 8 inch square dish and put the dish in the oven as it is preheating to melt the butter. Set the timer so you won't forget about it. Remove from oven when butter is melted.
- Beat the 114 grams of softened butter and 100 grams of sugar until creamy. If you butter is very soft, you can do this with just a spoon or scraper. Add the 2 tablespoons of beaten egg and beat until smooth, then stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and the self rising flour.
- Scrape pumpkin mixture into greased dish.
- Wipe out the mixing bowl and add the softened cream cheese. Beat until smooth, then beat in the sugar and vanilla.
- Drizzle in the beaten egg, stirring until mixed.
- Scrape cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin mixture.
- Bake for about 35 minutes or until top appears set and center rises a bit (it will fall back down). Let cool completely, then chill before serving.
Notes
For best results, weigh your flour. If you don't have a scale, spoon it lightly into the measuring cup.
- To substitute all-purpose flour for self-rising, use all-purpose flour plus 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt plus a pinch (or a "generous" ¼ teaspoon.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sonya says
Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!