Each of us has experienced regret in varying degrees.
If only I'd traveled across Europe that summer in college when I had the chance.
I should have asked her out before my best friend did.
Or, if you're me:
I wish I hadn't set down that pan of pumpkin cheesecake bars — which I was just about to take pictures of — to hang over the edge of the counter, which surely would have prevented it from falling, face-down, onto the kitchen floor. [Face palm.3/8
Yeah. Good choices can be hard.
I did make one, though: I baked two different recipes for the story!
I decided early on that I wanted to do bars for National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day (Oct. 21). They're handsier, for Halloween gatherings (not that we're letting anyone into our houses these days, but they're also easier eating as you enjoy AMC's inevitable classic horror marathon — the more Vincent Price, the better) but even this take offers an array of options.
Eventually, you just have to throw a dart. I threw two. These bars are both really tasty, their flavor profiles similar — fall-seasonal spices and scents paired with creamy fillings and each with a nice, thick, buttery crust.
First, the crunchy, creamy, gooey version from Chelsea's Messy Apron. What was pretty cool was that she offered versions for both 9x9 and 9x13 pans (I went with the smaller). Baking is math. Math is not my friend. I'm grateful for all the conversion tools available in 2020, but really, I just want the recipe to tell me what to do.
What was also pretty cool? This recipe features two words no food pornographer can resist: caramel and streusel.
Her photos were gorgeous and thickly layered. Mine didn't come out so impressive, but the layering is there. The unholy trinity of buttery-crunchy topping, buttery-salty caramel sauce and buttery-spicy cinnamon graham crust does a lot to make up for looks if necessary. The ugly ones would look great hot in a mug with vanilla ice cream before catching the express train to Tummy Town.
More sophisticated in appearance are the marbled bars from this New York Times recipe.
Mine didn't come out with as lovely a color contrast, but the recipe was simple. I loved its light, fluffy texture, possibly the product of too high a setting on my mixer, incorporating more air into the filling than perhaps intended. Keep your setting low if you're looking for results with more density.
What I especially loved was the ginger snap crust. The recipe notes a preference for "the thin, Swedish variety," and lo and behold, my Publix had them!
They are delicious, light, crispy and created a delicious, slightly zingy crust. A few folks mentioned in the comments that these cookies are infinitely better than more run-of-the-mill ginger cookies. I'd be inclined to agree. (Recipe posts are the only place I ever dare to read comment threads. There's often great advice in there!) There's some good opportunity for a candied ginger add-in here if that sounds good to you.
Also, try not to drop yours on the floor.
