Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars

Can we all agree there can never be enough desserts around the holidays? There are the traditional must haves like pecan pie and pumpkin pie, but you always need that one extra surprise. These Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars are a fun and delicious addition to any festive celebration.

I love taking classic flavors and giving them a fun update and twist. Not only do these bars deliver on all of your pumpkin pie cravings, they couldn’t be easier.

Easy but Delicious

Skip the rolling out a crust for pumpkin pie or the delicacy of a cheesecake and make these Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars. They’re not only the perfect mashup, they are a decadent confection unto themselves.

I love this recipe for how easy it is. These bars are an ideal treat to bring to any of your holiday gatherings. They travel well and disappear fast.

The addition of the Dairy Free ricotta gives them that light creamy texture of a ricotta cheesecake. The shortbread style crust also doubles as the perfect crumble topping.

Bring all of the holiday flavor to these hand held treats is the warm array of spices in pumpkin spice. Skip the lattes and head straight for the dessert table. Depending on what blend you use it’ll include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, sometimes allspice. Always make sure your spices are fresh. If you haven’t used your pumpkin pie spice since the previous holiday season, it might be time to replace it.

Also adding depth and flavor to these bars is maple syrup. Just that little addition adds complexity and a hint of rich caramel.

Baking Your Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars

I love this recipe for both its delicate and creamy texture, and also for how effortless it is. I will break down all of the steps so you can serve this at your next holiday gathering.

• Let your food processor do the work. The crust/crumble topping comes together quickly with the help of your food processor. Simply add all of your ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until its a sandy, crumbly texture. For this recipe it actually helps to have your butter chilled.

• Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into an 8×8 pan and reserve the rest for the topping.

• For the pumpkin ricotta filling mix all of the ingredients together until completely combined. This is more of a custard based filling with eggs so you don’t have to worry about over mixing.

• Pour the pumpkin filling over the crust and top with the remaining crump topping.

• These Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Ricotta Bars bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. You want to allow them to cool completely before cutting into them.

Simple, easy, and delicious! If you’re looking for more easy dessert ideas, make sure you check out my recipe for Gluten and Dairy Free Caramel Apple Crisp. Now let’s get baking!