We made this to satisfy any pre-Thanksgiving pumpkin pie cravings! A simple shortbread crust is topped with layers of spicy, earthy pumpkin and crunchy pecans. If you have extra coconut milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice left over from this recipe, they’d work nicely in a pumpkin smoothie.

Pumpkin Coconut Pecan Bars

Makes one dozen.

Ingredients

For the crust:

3/4 cup Community Grains Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp butter, softened

For the filling:

1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (canned is fine!)
3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
6 Tbsp coconut cream (see note below)
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 large egg

For the streusel:

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Community Grains Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup very roughly chopped pecans
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into chunks

Directions

Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, allowing it to extend up the sides. Set aside.
Combine flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork (or use your hands!) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Combine all streusel ingredients except butter in a bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Combine all filling ingredients except egg in a bowl and blend well with a fork or using a mixer at medium speed. Add egg; continue beating until well mixed.
Spread mixture over hot, partially baked crust and sprinkle the streusel over the filling. Bake 30-35 minutes or until topping is set.

Notes:

Open up a can of coconut milk — that dense creamy layer is coconut cream! You can encourage it to separate by placing the milk in a jar in the fridge and resting for a few hours.
Use your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend, or make your own! We used the one posted on 101 Cookbooks.