Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These maple pumpkin cheesecake bars are the perfect fall dessert. With a chewy crust and a creamy cheesecake filling that will melt in your mouth, this is a treat that you’ll want to make over and over again.

This maple pumpkin cheesecake bar recipe is one of my staples when the weather starts to turn. They have everything that I want in an autumn dessert: they’re packed with cozy and comforting flavors, make your house smell incredible when you’re baking them, and are easy to make. 

It’s hard to beat the flavor combination of pumpkin and maple, and these cheesecake bars have a lot of both flavors. Add in an irresistible, chewy Biscoff crust, and the fact that they take less than an hour to make, and you’ve got a new go-to dessert for the fall and winter. 

Why You’ll Love These Easy Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These are one of my favorite desserts to make and eat for a reason. There’s no shortage of things to love about these maple pumpkin cheesecake bars, but here are a few of my absolute favorite things about them. 

• The Biscoff crust. Most cheesecake recipes use a graham cracker crust, but this one opts for Biscoff cookies instead, and it really makes the cheesecake bars shine. Biscoff cookies have a much stronger caramel flavor than graham crackers, which adds a rich, sweet flavor to this dessert. And they’re chewier, so you get a crust that’s more chewy than crunchy. 
• The fall flavors. These cheesecake bars simply taste like autumn. There’s pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. There’s maple syrup. Add in vanilla, brown sugar, and the caramel flavor of Biscoff, and you’re left with a dessert that screams fall. 
• Easy and mess free. Cheesecakes can be a real hassle to make, but not this recipe. It takes less than an hour, and is relatively fool proof. But best of all? It doesn’t use any bowls! All you need are a baking pan and a food processor. No mixing bowls required! 
• Pillowy texture. This recipe isn’t quite as firm as a standard cheesecake. It’s a little bit fluffier and more pillowy, which makes it very luxurious. And the softness of the filling plays perfectly with the Biscoff crust. 

Recipe Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you need for this mouth-watering, creamy cheesecake bar recipe. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact amounts of each ingredient.

For the Crust:

• Biscoff cookies
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter

For the Filling:

• Cream cheese
• Large eggs
• Pumpkin puree
• Dark brown sugar
• Evaporated milk
• Maple syrup – Make sure you’re using pure maple syrup. 
• Vanilla extract – Be sure to use 100% vanilla extract, rather than something with artificial flavors.
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Salt
• Powdered sugar or whipped cream – These are optional garnishes. 

Is Pumpkin Puree the Same as Pumpkin Pie Filling?

No, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are very different things. Pumpkin puree is simply pureed pumpkin (or sometimes pureed pumpkin with other pureed squashes). There are no flavorings or sweeteners in pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, is pureed pumpkin (or, again, other pureed squashes) that has been sweetened and flavored with pumpkin pie spices. When in doubt, you always want to use pumpkin puree, so you can control the sweetness and the flavorings. 

What if I Can’t Find Biscoff Cookies?

If you’re unable to find Biscoff, try to find another brand of biscuit cookies. If you can’t find those, you can substitute with graham crackers or ginger cookies. The amount of cookies needed for the crust will change if you use different cookies, so always make the crust based on the suggested texture. 

How to Make Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These maple pumpkin cheesecake bars take less than an hour to make, and don’t even have very many steps. 

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, with about 3 inches of foil hanging over the edges. Cover with baking spray. 
• Make the crust. Pulse the Biscoff cookies and granulated sugar in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Turn the food processor to low and slowly add melted butter until the consistency resembles wet sand.
• Bake the crust. Press the Biscoff dough into the bottom of the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.
• Clean the processor. Wash and dry the food processor bowl.
• Make the filling. Add all of the filling ingredients (except the garnishes) to the food processor, and blend until smooth.
• Bake the cheesecake. Pour the filling into the baking pan and then tap the pan against the counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Place it in the oven, and bake until the center is set, about 30-35 minutes. 
• Cool. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and set it on a wire rack until the pumpkin cheesecake is completely cooled. 
• Cut. Move the cheesecake to a cutting board, peel back the aluminum foil, and cut into squares. 
• Serve. Top with powdered sugar or whipped cream, and serve at room temperature. 

Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Dessert Bars

Here are a few tricks and tips for making sure that your maple pumpkin cheesecake bars come out perfectly every single time.

• Use softened cream cheese. In order to get the smoothest cheesecake filling, you want to use softened cream cheese. If the cream cheese is soft, it will get more airy when you process it, and it will better mix with the rest of the ingredients. 
• Don’t over bake. It’s easy to over bake cheesecakes, so keep a close eye on it when it’s in the oven. As soon as the center is set, take the cheesecake out before it gets dry. 
• Tent if necessary. Keep an eye on the oven when you’re baking both the crust and the cheesecake. If either are getting too brown before they’re done cooking, cover them with aluminum foil. 

How to Store Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

You can store this maple pumpkin cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can be eaten cold out of the fridge, or you can let it come to room temperature before eating.

You can also store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, wrap in plastic wrap before placing in a container, to avoid freezer burn. Let the cheesecake bars thaw in the fridge before eating. 

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try

If these maple pumpkin cheesecake bars leave you hungry for more sweet pumpkin recipes, check out some of my other favorites.

• Pumpkin chocolate marbled zebra bread
• Air fryer pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin delight
• Pumpkin cream cheese muffins
• Pumpkin roll
• Better than sex pumpkin cake

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These maple pumpkin cheesecake bars have a chewy Biscoff crust, a pillowy cheesecake filling, and are full of fall flavors. Plus, they take less than an hour to make.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 24 bars

Author: Julie Chiou

Save Saved! Rate Print

Ingredients 

½1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

For the crust:

• ▢ 8.8 ounce Biscoff cookies
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• ▢ 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 15 ounce can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ Powdered sugar or fresh whipped cream for garnish, optional

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Equipment

• 9×13 inch baking pan
• Food processor

Cook Mode(toggling this on will prevent your screen from going dark)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil with an overhang about 3-inches on either side. Lightly spray the foil with baking spray. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse cookies and sugar together until you have fine crumbs. Through the feed tube, while the food processor is on low, drizzle 5 tbsp. of melted butter in and mix until the mixture comes together like sand when you pinch it together. If it’s too dry, add in a tsp. of butter at a time until the mixture becomes wetter and comes together.
• Pour the crumbs into the prepared baking pan and press it into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.
• Wash and dry the bowl of the food processor.
• While crust is baking, make the filling. Combine all filling ingredients (EXCEPT powdered sugar/whipped cream) in the food processor. Process until smooth.
• Pour mixture onto the pre-baked crust and tap pan against the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until filling is set in the center.
• Remove from oven and set pan on top of a wire rack to cool.
• Once completely cool, carefully lift the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting surface. Peel the foil from the edges and using a sharp knife, cut the cheesecake into square bars. If your knife gets too gummy, wipe it down.
• Serve chilled or at room temperature with powdered sugar sprinkled on top or whipped cream.
• Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 bar | Calories: 174 kcal | Carbohydrates: 21 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 9 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 0.1 g | Cholesterol: 30 mg | Sodium: 116 mg | Potassium: 127 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 16 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake bars, fall baking, maple cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake