Bake + Book: The Devilish Pumpkin Bar

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirls

The arrival of Fall means bakes + books. In September, I paired the novel The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, with this autumnal favorite.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bars

I made these because I had leftover canned pumpkin and wanted to see what I could whip up. Waste not, and all that. I had graham crackers, evaporated milk, and cream cheese, the holy trinity. It was a relatively easy recipe, but involved, since you were essentially merging a pumpkin pie with cheesecake into one glorious dessert.

It was worth it.

When I took the obligatory taste test bite, I knew this was a keeper when I whispered to myself, “Dear God.” I mean, this is the kind of reaction we want from our baked good, right?! I know I do.

With today being the first day of Autumn, I welcome the season. May we all drink pumpkin spice coffee, apple cider lattes and spend the next couple of months whipping up all our fall favorites.

What book did I pair this with?

I read the Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and devoured it. It reminded me a bit of how I felt when I decided to check out this YA novel called Twilight, and I ended up binging it for the next 24 hours. Addie La Rue, much like these pumpkin bars, will entrance you. There’s romance, themes of feminism, and some interesting chats with the Devil, who turns out to be devastatingly handsome. This genre was outside of my usual suspects, but much like the pumpkin cream cheese swirl bars, once I picked it up, I was locked in for days. Entranced by the world-building, this historical background, and the romance, this is a great read to add to your fall reading list. Check out the review on Kirkus Reviews, this romantasy novel was released in 2020.