Deliciously Swirled Greek Yogurt Bars with Homemade Pumpkin Butter, bursting with fruity flavors and cozy spices, sit atop a perfect pecan shortbread crust, making them the ultimate autumn breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Featuring a crunchy, nutty, gluten-free oatmeal pecan shortbread-style crust, a smooth and silky creamy filling, and autumn-spiced pumpkin butter, there’s so much to adore about these high-protein, low-sugar bars.
Despite their fancy appearance, this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. In fact, I whip it up nearly every season, altering the flavors to suit the changing seasons. Both the crust and the filling come together effortlessly in a single bowl, making these bars a quick and easy treat to prepare.
For optimal freshness, store the bars in the fridge and enjoy them within 2-3 days. The crust may soften over time, but the bars remain delicious. These bars also freeze well for up to 2-3 months, provided you store them pre-cut and individually wrapped. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply defrost them in the fridge for a few hours.
Pumpkin-Swirled Yogurt Bars with Pecan Crust Ingredients:
For the Oatmeal Cookie Crust:
- Oat flour – If you have a food processor or a high-speed blender, I always recommend making your own oat flour because it’s easy and cost-effective
- Almond flour – You can use more oat flour as a substitute if you don’t have almond flour or don’t like it
- Pecans – They add a delightful sweet, nutty crunch to the crust that pairs wonderfully with the fall pumpkin flavors
- Brown sugar – I recommend using dark brown sugar to achieve that molasses flavor that deepens the cozy flavors of these bars
- Coconut oil – If you prefer, regular butter works as well, but if you’re using coconut oil, I recommend refined, as it has a milder coconut taste
- Pumpkin pie spice – A must for any pumpkin recipe
- Salt – enhances all the flavors
For the yogurt filling:
- Eggs – Provides structure and a firm texture to the filling
- Greek yogurt – Make sure it’s whole milk and plain for the creamiest bars
- Maple syrup -You can also use regular granulated sugar or honey, but I love the flavor of real 100% maple syrup
- Vanilla – Enhances the dessert’s flavors
- Pumpkin butter – I love using mine, but your favorite store-bought version works just as well
Pumpkin Swirled Yogurt Bars with Pecan Crust
Ingredients
OATMEAL COOKIE CRUST
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or more oat flour)
- 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
YOGURT LAYER
- 1 egg
- 3 egg whites
- 2 cups whole milk plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup maple
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a non-stick 9×9 pan with parchment, enough that it overlays on 2 sides of the pan to pull the bars out once cooled.
- In a bowl, combine all the crust ingredients until a packable crumble mixture forms
- Press the crust tightly into the pan and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven to add the yogurt mixture and pumpkin butter
- While the crust is baking, in a bowl, whisk together all the yogurt layer ingredients until smooth. Pour the yogurt onto the pecan crust, dollop the pumpkin butter all over the top of the yogurt and use a knife to cut through the dollops for a swirl design.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center of the yogurt layer is firm and when you shake the pan there’s no jiggle.
- Let the bars cool completely before placing them in the fridge to firm even more for at least an hour or 2 then cut and enjoy!
