Keto Pumpkin Caramel Magic Bars

A pumpkin caramel twist to the classic 7-layer magic bar with chocolate, nuts, caramel, and coconut! They're the perfect make-ahead dessert for your next party.  A buttery pumpkin spiced crust topped with layers of chocolate chips, sugar-free pumpkin spice chips, coconut, chopped nuts, and then finished off with a blanket of quick and easy sugar-free caramel sauce. So absolutely delicious, these will not last long!

Pumpkin Magic Cookie Bars

Have you ever had Magic Cookie Bars? 

I had never even heard of these until about 10 years ago.  One day, my office manager made them and brought them into our office and let's just say, that for me, it was love at first bite!

Since that time, I have dreamed about these bars. 

Ooey, gooey and absolutely to die for.

However, most Magic Cookie Bar recipes call for sugar, more sugar and then some adding a little more sugar. 

Since I am a firm believer that processed white sugar is something we should all try to cut back on, I decided it was time to try and create a keto, low carb and gluten-free  version of these little treasures.

And, since all the leaves have begun to turn, my heart is screaming for all things pumpkin!

What are Magic Bars?

As it turns out, magic bars go by a few different names, like 7-Layer Bars or Hello Dollies, but everyone around my office calls them Magic Bars

They are a pure Midwestern treat, often brought to potlucks to round out a shared meal.

All the names for the same dessert might seem confusing, but luckily, there’s nothing confusing about making them.

Why do I love these Sugar-Free Magic Bars?

The true magic of these rich, sweet Magic Bars is how easy they are to make. There’s no mixing, no creaming butter with sugar, no adding the eggs one at a time.

Instead, Magic Bars are pretty much assembled from a pantry of stock ingredients, which are then sprinkled and layered one on top of the next. (Usually, there are seven different ingredients, which explains at least one of the alternate names!)

Bake in the oven until toasty brown and the bars are done.

I have made sugar-free magic bars using my Instant Pot Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe but decided for these fall flavoured magic bars, I would use my Easy Keto Microwave Caramel Sauce that only takes 8 minutes to make!

Magic Bar Layers

• 1 gluten-free pumpkin-spiced cookie bottom layer which gives these bars a nice little crunch
• 1 layer each of roasted pumpkin seeds, pecans, coconut and pumpkin spiced sugar-free chips
• All topped with a deliciously creamy caramel sauce

In total, these bars are technically a 6-Layer bar instead of 7! However, if you want to add some white or dark chocolate chips, you will hit the famous 7-layer mark!

Ingredients for the Keto Bars

For the Pumpkin-Spiced Crust:

Almond flour - Make sure to use super-fine almond flour to make the cookie bottom. You may be able to replace the almond flour with coconut flour but you will have to reduce the amount of flour by half since coconut flour is VERY absorbent. I have not tried this yet so if you do, let me know how it turns out!

Egg - This cookie bottom only calls for 1 large egg. The egg will help to bind the cookie crust.

Butter - I used unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter, you can use it instead and omit the additional salt. Butter helps to make this cookie layer taste just like a shortbread cookie!

Salt and Pumpkin Pie Spice - When I tried creating this recipe using pumpkin puree, I could not achieve the "cookie" texture I was looking for. So, instead, we are adding pumpkin pie spice and salt to get that delicious fall flavour we are looking for.

Caramel Sauce:

Heavy Cream and Butter - I have an entire post devoted to making keto caramel sauce in the microwave but essentially, you care going to combine the heavy cream and butter to create the gooey caramel flavour that we all love.

Allulose - This is the only type of sugar that will work and not crystalize as the caramel cools. I buy mine on Amazon. If you only have erythritol based sweeteners, the caramel will crystalize and become grainy as it cools. Since these bars have to be stored in the fridge, erythritol sweeteners will not work in this recipe.

Baking Soda, Vanilla and Salt - Baking soda is added at the end of the recipe to help create that beautiful golden caramel colour we all love. Vanilla and salt help to round out the flavours and offset some of the sweetness.

Magic Bar Layers:

Pecans - Finely chop the pecans before adding them to the bars. If the nuts are too large, they make cutting the bars quite difficult. You replace pecans with any other type of nut or seed as long as they are chopped finely.

Pumpkin Seeds - I decided to give even more "pumpkin-flare" to these magic bars by adding roasted pumpkin seeds. If you only have raw pumpkin seeds, all you have to do is place the pumpkin seeds in a non-stick skillet and heat the seeds on medium heat until they begin to turn brown. Be careful and don't leave the stove as all nuts and seeds can burn very quickly!

Unsweetened Shredded Coconut - Make sure that you buy unsweetened coconut in order to keep these bars keto-friendly. I have made this recipe with both flaked and shredded unsweetened coconut. Although it does not matter in terms of taste or carbs which type you use, shredded coconut allows these bars to slice more easily.

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Baking Chips - I bought these from Lily's. You can easily order. However, if you don't want to buy these, you can replace these with sugar-free white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.

Making Pumpkin Magic Bars?

Prepare the bottom crust:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 
• Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set it aside. 
• Combine all of the crust ingredients and stir
• Press mixture down firmly and place it in the oven for 10 -15 minutes
• Remove from oven and increase the temperature to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the Easy Sugar-free Caramel sauce:

• You will have too much caramel sauce but trust me, you won't have any problem using it up as it tastes so good!

Assemble the Keto Magic Bars:

• In a small bowl, combine the pecans, coconut, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie spice and baking chips
• Add 2 tablespoons of caramel to the mixture (this will help to bind the layers)
• Spread the mixture over the crust 
• Gently pour the remaining caramel evenly over the top
• Bake for approximately 10 more minutes or until the mixture just begins to set.

How do you slice these Keto Nut-Free Magic Bars?

Gooey is the name of the game with these bars. While delicious, this can make them difficult to slice. Two things can help:

1. Be sure to line the pan with parchment. This way you can lift the bars from the pan and slice them with a chef's knife on a cutting board.
2. Refrigerate the bars for a few hours or overnight. If the bars still seem too soft and gooey to slice, put them in the fridge (covered) for a few hours until they firm up.
3. Place the bars in the freezer. You can also place the bars in the freezer for an hour to help make them easier to cut.

Storing Keto Dessert Bars

Store your sliced magic cookie bars between layers of parchment in an airtight container. They'll keep in the fridge for about a week (recommended if it's really warm where you live)

You can also freeze these bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Why do you make these bars in a 9 x 5 loaf pan?

I absolutely LOVE baking and cooking but since we are a family of only 2, we can end up with an abundance of food.  For that reason, I like to make smaller portions so that I don't end up with a freezer full of leftovers.

However, if you want to make a larger version of these bars, you can click on the bottom of the recipe card and the recipe will automatically double or triple.

If you double the recipe, use an 8 x 8 pan and if you triple the recipe, use a 9 x 13-inch pan.

As for baking time, you will only need to add a couple of additional minutes so I would start with 5 minutes and check the bars.

More Keto Dessert Bar Recipe Ideas

• Homemade Keto Ice Cream Sandwich Bars with No-Churn Ice Cream
• Keto Banana Bars Recipe With Brown Butter Frosting - Gluten-Free
• 3-Ingredient Keto Chocolate Crunch Bar - Copycat Recipe
• Keto Lemon Lime Bars with a Graham Cracker Crust
• Keto Pumpkin Chocolate Bars - Gluten-Free

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