Everything Thanksgiving Bars are layers of T-Day favorites with a graham cracker crust, pumpkin pie filling, cranberry sauce, glazed pecans, and toasted marshmallows.
I’m not much for Thanksgiving but I do enjoy the dessert table. However, when I searched the internet for a Thanksgiving dessert that combined all the Thanksgiving flavors, I could only find pie recipes that split a single pie into quadrants, similar to this. Which wasn’t at all what I was looking for.
And since I couldn’t find a recipe to meet my needs, I decided to make one that did, combining my favorite sweet parts about Thanksgiving today into a single bite.
The Everything Thanksgiving Bar
The base layer is a shortbread crust. Nothing fancy just flour, sugar and unsalted butter as a solid foundation to the rest of the bar fillings.
Next, is a layer of pumpkin pie filling. It’s a recipe similar to the pumpkin pie my Mom makes. It’s not overly pumpkiny and it’s full of spice — making it super flavorful, encompassing all of the warm fall spices.
Next in my Everything Thanksgiving Bar is a thin layer of homemade cranberry sauce, slightly tart with a dash of cloves and sweetened with brown sugar. I love fresh, homemade cranberry sauce and while it’s not typically found on the dessert table, I don’t think any Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without it.
The fourth layer adds a sticky, sweet crunch with maple glazed pecans. I’m a huge pecan pie fan and wanted to give a nod to this traditional Thanksgiving pie which is why I chose to glaze pecan halves in maple syrup then individually lay them across the bars to create a beautiful, glossy, patterned top.
My cranberry, apple, and ginger pie would also make a great Thanksgiving dessert.
To finish my Everything Thanksgiving Bars, I made a homemade marshmallow fluff and lightly toasted a dollop on top of each cut bar. It brings in a toasty flavor that’s reminiscent of the marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole that’s so commonly found on Thanksgiving tables.
They’re a bite of Thanksgiving!
The end result was a delicious little bar that was creamy, tart, crunchy, and definitely invoked the flavors of Thanksgiving. My Everything Thanksgiving Bars would be perfect for a small Thanksgiving celebration when you want to eat ‘all the things’ but don’t have the mouths to eat it.
As for me, I’ll be making these on the regular every fall as a way to savor all my Thanksgiving favorites without the full-on effort, and quantity, of making all the dishes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
- Maple Glazed Pecans
- 2 cups pecans
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- Cranberry Sauce
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch of allspice
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking poweder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Marshmellow Fluff Meringue
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Make the Maple Glazed Pecans: In a small bowl, mix the pecans with the syrup, cinnamon, and salt until coated. Pour the mixture into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a low boil, reduce to simmer and allow the pecans and syrup to crystalize, about 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly. Once they start to look crystalized, remove them from heat and spread the nuts on to a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) to cool completely. Use your hands to break them into individual pieces (greasing your hands with butter or shortening so they don't stick to you). Set aside until needed
- Make the Cranberry Sauce: Place all the ingredients except the lemon zest into a medium saucepan. Bring everything to a boil, stirring constantly then reduce to simmer. Using a spoon, mash the cranberries some so they burst and the peels become soft. When the mixture looks homogenous, about 10-15 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside until needed.
- Make the Shortbread Crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Thoroughly grease then line an 9x13 pan with parchment then set aside. Beat the butter, vanilla and sugars in a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides then add the remaining ingredients. Remove from mixer, and using your hands, combine any extra flour at the bottom of the bowl, gently kneading. Place the dough into the prepared pan and using greased hands, gently spread it into a flat, even layer. Poke the dough with a fork and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool 5-10 minutes before adding the pumpkin pie filling.
- Make the Pumpkin Pie Filling: While the crust it cooling, place all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling into a large bowl. Whisk together by hand or by using an electric hand mixer. Once the graham cracker filling is cooled, pour the pumpkin pie filling into the pan and bake for 20-minutes.
- Layer on the Cranberries and Pecans: After the pumpkin layer has baked for 30-minutes, remove the dish from the oven and slowly, very carefully, spread a thin layer of the cranberry sauce on top of the par-baked pumpkin pie filling. Take your time, and be gentle so as not to swirl the pumpkin pie and cranberries. Once you've layered on the cranberry sauce, top the sauce with the maple glazed pecans and allow everything to cool completely before cutting or topping with the marshmallow fluff meringue. I prefer to let mine sit in the fridge for 3-4 horus before adding the marshmallow topping.
- Make the Marshmallow Fluff Meringue: Place a small bowl on top of a saucepan filled halfway with water and bring the water to simmer (make a double boiler). Place the egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar into the small bowl on top of the simmering water and whisk vigorously until the sugar is dissolved, about 5-minutes. Use your fingers to test the mixture and when you can no longer feel the sugar granules, remove the bowl from the heat. Add in the vanilla extract and using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on high until stiff peaks form, about 5-minutes. Place the fluff into a piping bag with the desired tip and once the bars are cut and cooled to room temperature, top each bar with a dollop of marshmallow fluff meringue. You can toast the top by using a pastry torch.
- Store bars in the fridge as the marshmallow fluff will lose its stiffness and wilt if left at room temperature.
