Pumpkin Streusel Pie Bars are pumpkin pie’s cool, casual cousin

Once again, we find ourselves on the other side of summer, fast and furiously rushing into the holiday madness. I personally love this time of year, and secretly count down until the day until I can start playing my holiday playlists all day long and keep those classic movies on a loop. We all know this day is the day after Thanksgiving, and some years it doesn’t come fast enough.

Of course, I don’t want to rush through our major food holiday just to play some Christmas tunes. Last year my family tried something new to extend the November festivities: We ate a huge dinner on the actual day of Thanksgiving and then got together three days later and ate all the Thanksgiving desserts. Well, we still had pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day (because the grandpas could not be moved on that tradition), but every other pie, cake and cookie was served three days later, when we actually had room to enjoy them. While this extra eating day might be too much family time for some, I really liked having another excuse to get together and just eat sweets.

Since I had already made a classic pumpkin pie on the real Thanksgiving, I made these pumpkin streusel bars for our follow-up dessert day. They are a nice, casual addition to any holiday table: Their brown butter crust and streusel are all made in one step, and there is a creamy traditional pumpkin filling to please all the purists. They also are made in a 9-by-13 pan and can serve up to 24, which comes in handy if you are feeding a large crowd.

I will be making them again this year, but please note that my children frequently ask for them year-round. I have made them during the long, dark nights of November, and I have made them on a bright, blazing July afternoon. They are delicious.

Makes 12 large or 24 small bars.

This brown buttered crumbly streusel top and bottom pairs perfectly with the creamy pumpkin filling. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Pumpkin Filling:

Directions

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and line with a parchment sling.

To prepare the pumpkin filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and cloves until smooth.

To prepare the crust: Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the butter until it is dark golden brown and is giving off a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the browned butter (and any bits of browned butter stuck to the bottom of the skillet) into a medium bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add the browned butter and mix on low speed until the butter is combined into the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix again until the egg is worked into the flour. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter to the flour and mix until the butter is combined and the mixture is crumbly.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours, and up to overnight. Slice into bars and serve. The bars can be served cold or at room temperature but keep best in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

This recipe is from Sarah Kieffer’s new Holiday Baking Deck, which is now available for purchase. It is a collection of 30 festive recipes: a go-to guide for holiday brunches, seasonal parties, cookie swaps, edible gifts and showstopping desserts. It includes a handy booklet full of baking tips, notes on ingredients and master recipes for doughs and toppings. It’s a perfect little deck to fit into any and all stockings this holiday season (Chronicle, $19.95).