Burnt Sugar Pumpkin Bars

These moist pumpkin bars are made extra special with burnt sugar! Close to caramel, burnt sugar is simply sugar that’s melted down until it’s nearly burnt. Mixed with water, it creates a syrup that’s delicious in these pumpkin bars. It adds that caramel note, but the bitterness prevents these bars from turning too sweet. The flavor is so unique and creates an incredibly rich texture!

What is Burnt Sugar?

This is an old school baking method that I discovered in one of my grandma’s old cookbooks. It’s simple to make but makes a big impact.

First, sugar is heated in a saucepan until it’s completely melted down. As it melts, it will darken and basically turn burnt. It will smell burnt and look very dark!

Then, equal parts hot water is whisked in and the mixture is heated again until reduced by half. This creates a sugar syrup that’s incredibly dark and bitter. It doesn’t taste good on its own but when mixed into a sweet dessert, it’s magic!

Burnt sugar is able to add that delicious caramel note without adding a ton of sickly sweetness. It’s also a flavor you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know it’s something that MAKES these pumpkin bars.

Since it’s also a syrup, it adds SO much richness and moisture to these bars. Because not only is it in the frosting, making it super silky and glossy, but it’s also baked into these bars.

With a tiny bit leftover, it’s fun to enhance the burnt sugar flavor by drizzling just a little bit on each slice. Totally optional, but totally worth it.

Baking Tips for Pumpkin Bars

These bars bake SO moist and tender with SO much flavor. To make sure yours turn out exactly the same, follow these simple tips:

1. Burnt Sugar – When melting down the sugar, try not to bother it too much. If you whisk it around, it can crystalize and clump up. I like to just pat it to ensure even melting.
2. Hot Water – Make sure to whisk HOT water into the sugar. If it’s too cool, it will immediately harden up all of that sugar. Also stand back when add it as the mixture will steam and bubble quite a bit.
3. Flour – I always say this, but use a scale if you can (it’s the most accurate way to bake). Otherwise, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off for light and fluffy cups. Never scoop directly into the flour as this packs it down into your cup! And too much flour means dry and tough pumpkin bars.
4. Whisking – Don’t over mix! Whisk just until the flour is fully absorbed and the batter appears smooth. Over mixing can lead to tough pumpkin bars.
5. Frosting – Really mix the frosting at the end to work out any lumps. Luckily the burnt syrup does a lot of the heavy lifting, creating a super silky frosting. Just make sure it’s room temperature before mixing it in! If it’s too cold, the frosting can clump up.
6. Assembly – Never spread frosting onto hot bars! Make sure the bars have cooled enough to where they either don’t feel warm at all or are just BARELY warm on the surface.

Burnt Sugar Pumpkin Bars FAQs

For more pumpkin dessert recipes, check out my:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
• Pumpkin Pie Gooey Butter Cake
• Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Bread
• No Bake Pumpkin Cookie Pie

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make these Burnt Sugar Pumpkin Bars. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

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