Yes, we may complain about pumpkin spice lattes — especially when Starbucks launches the crazy-popular autumnal sip in August, as they did this summer. But by the time October rolls around, we’re all about that heady pie-spice mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
So are the folks behind Tasty, whose fast-paced social media videos provide cooking inspiration for millennials everywhere. The newest Tasty cookbook, “Tasty Ultimate: How to Cook Basically Anything” (Clarkson Potter, $30), lands on store shelves next week, but they’re sharing an easy and delicious ode to those fall lattes now. It’s a latte-inspired cheesecake built atop a spicy gingersnap cookie crust. (We’d consider it a shout-out to Starbucks, but it sounds even tastier than that.)
The recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice mix, which you can find in the spice section of most supermarkets. But the ground spice mixture is so easy to make at home — it’s 4 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon cloves and ½ teaspoon nutmeg — why bother running to the store? Besides, this way you can tweak the balance to suit your personal cinnamon cravings or penchant for cloves.
Tasty’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Bars
Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, divided use
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup gingersnap crumbs (from about 18 cookies)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided use
¼ cup strong brewed espresso or coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix, divided use
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat it with cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter, beating on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and 1 egg; beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the flour, gingersnap crumbs, baking powder and salt, and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press it evenly over the bottom.
- In a food processor, combine the remaining 4 eggs, 2 cups powdered sugar, espresso, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice mix and the cream cheese, processing until smooth.
- Pour the cream cheese filling over the dough and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the filling is lightly browned on top and set in the center, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the bars cool completely, about 1 hour. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- When ready to serve, sift the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon pie spice mix over the bars until completely coated. Cut into 12 bars and serve.
— Reprinted with permission from “Tasty Ultimate” (Clarkson Potter, $30)
