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    Home » Dessert » Cookies

    Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas

    Published: Dec 5, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    stack of brown sugar bars, with text overlay.

    Bake a batch of Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas for a tasty dessert. With the texture of a sugar pie, these brown sugar cookie bars are delicious on their own with milk or served with ice cream.

    Dish up a cookie plate of Brown Sugar Bars, Chocolate Mint Brownies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies for a fun party dessert or gift to give. These go great on a Dessert Charcuterie Board, too!

    stack of Brown Sugar Bars with a snowman mug and Christmas ornament. this …
    Jump to:
    • Why Make This
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instruction
    • FAQs
    • More Great Cookies
    • Tell us what you think!
    • Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas

    Bar cookies are super easy to bake — just one pan and slice them up ready to go! These Brown Sugar Bars are ones that my great grandmother made with walnuts in the 1930s. I’ve adapted them to be nut-safe, instead using Pepitas or Pumpkin Seeds. They are almost like pecan pie bars, without the pecans!

    Why Make This

    Brown Sugar Bar Cookies are easy! These are super easy cookies to bake, featuring just a handful of ingredients.

    They are super versatile. You can bake these gluten-free and use whatever nut or seed you have on hand. You can even add some chocolate chips to the mix if you’d like.

    They freeze well. These Brown Sugar Bars freeze really well! Make some now and enjoy them all season long. They are a great Christmas Cookies to Make Ahead & Freeze.

    They are delicious! These Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas are super tasty. They don’t have any butter, but the texture is almost like caramel candy. So good!

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you need to make Brown Sugar Bars:

    ingredients for Brown Sugar Bars laid out on black counter top.

    eggs – You’ll need two eggs. They help give these cookies their texture, so don’t omit them.

    brown sugar – You can use dark or light brown sugar. In a pinch, remember you can make your own brown sugar.

    flour – I typically use unbleached, all-purpose flour, but have tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to1 gluten-free baking mix.

    leavening – You’ll need baking powder and salt to help these Brown Sugar Bars rise.

    flavoring – I use vanilla extract, but you can use another flavoring if you prefer, such as almond, rum, or maple. You could also add a teaspoon cinnamon if you like.

    nuts or seeds – I typically make these with pepitas or pumpkin seeds, but you can use walnuts, pecans, almonds, or sunflower seeds.

    Step-by-Step Instruction

    Here’s how to make Brown Sugar Bars:

    Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.

    eggs in mixing bowl.
    beaten eggs in yellow bowl.
    adding brown sugar to eggs in a bowl.
    brown sugar and egg mixture in yellow bowl.

    In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and continue beating.

    sifter over yellow bowl of egg and sugar mixture.
    flour mixed into eggs.
    adding pepitas to the bowl.
    brown sugar bar mixture in bowl with teal spatula.

    Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat this into the mixture. Stir in the vanilla and pepitas or nuts.

    batter poured into lined pan.
    brown sugar bars baked in pan and cooling on rack.
    trimming away the ugly edges of the cookies.
    cookies cut into squares.

    Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and crisp looking on top.

    Cool the pan on a rack.

    Remove the parchment paper from the pan and trim ugly edges. Eat those right away. Cut square or rectangular bars. Store in an airtight container, layered with parchment.

    TLDR? Watch this Easy Brown Sugar Bars web story.

    FAQs

    How do you freeze Brown Sugar Bars? 

    Cool the cookies on a rack completely. Cut into squares and layer in an airtight container, between pieces of parchment. Store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

    Does brown sugar go bad?

    Brown sugar shouldn’t go bad, but it may get hard. To soften brown sugar, place it in microwave-safe bowl and cover with a moist paper towel. Microwave for 20 seconds at a time, checking for softness and breaking up clumps with a fork. Don’t overcook or the sugar will melt.

    Can you use pumpkin seeds instead of nuts in cookies?

    Pumpkin seeds, aka pepitas, are great as a nut substitute in many recipes.

    brown sugar bars cut into squares on parchment paper.

    More Great Cookies

    • Coffee Cookies
    • Protein Cookies
    • Chocolate Mint Cookies with Kisses
    • Snowball Cookies Recipe

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    stack of brown sugar bars divided by parchment paper squares.
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    5 from 3 votes

    Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas

    Bake a batch of Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas for a tasty dessert. With the texture of a sugar pie, these brown sugar cookie bars are delicious on their own with milk or served with ice cream.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 12 bars
    Calories: 218kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $5
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • large mixing bowl
    • rubber spatula
    • 9×13-inch baking dish
    • parchment paper
    • wire rack
    • dough knife

    Ingredients

    • 2 egg
    • 2 cup brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cup pepitas , other seeds, or coarsely chopped nuts of your choice
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and continue beating.
      2 egg, 2 cup brown sugar
    • Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat this into the mixture. Stir in the vanilla and pepitas or nuts.
      3 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cup pepitas
    • Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and crisp looking on top. It will jiggle and collapse as it cools.
    • Cool the pan on a rack.
    • Remove the parchment paper from the pan and trim ugly edges. Eat those right away.
    • Cut square or rectangular bars. Store in an airtight container, layered with parchment.

    Notes

    Store bars at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
    Variations:
    Instead of vanilla extract, you can use another flavoring if you prefer, such as almond, rum, or maple. You could also add a teaspoon cinnamon if you like. 
    Instead of pepitas, you can use walnuts, pecans, almonds, or sunflower seeds.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @goodcheapeatsblog or tag #goodcheapeats!

    This post was originally published on December 12, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.

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    Comments

    1. Kay D

      June 15, 2020 at 5:40 am

      How is the cook time for this recipe with parts coconut flour and a convection oven setting? I think they will eventually set but I’m finding it to be a longer bake time. Is coconut flour not an ok substitute? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        June 15, 2020 at 6:48 am

        I have never used coconut flour and do not own a convection oven. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

        Reply
      • Tiffany Valencia

        December 24, 2021 at 3:53 pm

        5 stars
        I made these with a combo of walnuts pecans and almonds. They are indescribably tasty. The way they come together is unique too. I’m excited to have these in my Christmas cookie boxes this year.

        Reply
    2. Leah

      January 29, 2015 at 3:07 pm

      These are soo good! Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 30, 2015 at 6:08 pm

        They are addicting, aren’t they?! I want to try them with some other nuts sometime. Maybe almonds or hazelnuts which my daughter can have.

        Reply
    3. Kristin

      December 13, 2014 at 10:55 am

      i am going to try this with Gluten Free flour, I will let you know how they turn out!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 13, 2014 at 11:48 am

        Can’t wait to hear!

        Reply
    4. Lynae

      January 06, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      I just recently found your blog and was excited to try these Pepita bars as one of my sons also has a walnut and peanut allergy. I was going to buy a bag of pepitas at Trader Joe’s today and noticed they are now labeled as cross-contaminated with peanuts! So bummed about this as I looked at an almost empty bag I have in the freezer and it does not have this warning. Any thoughts on where else to buy them? So hard to find things without cross-contamination labels these days.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 06, 2014 at 9:31 pm

        The cross-contamination thing is a bane of my existence. The pepitas I had were safe, but now you have me wondering if they changed their supplier. Such a bummer! I’m not sure, but I will let you know if I hear of another source. Ugh. Thanks for the tip.

        Reply

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