Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars Stuffed with Nutella

Need a fall dessert that’s a little more exciting than another pumpkin bread? These Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars are soft, buttery, warmly spiced, and filled with a rich, creamy Nutella center. Brown butter gives the pumpkin bars an incredible depth of flavor, while the Nutella surprise in the middle makes them impossible to resist.

Tired of Pumpkin Bread? This Fall Dessert That Looks Fancy but Is Surprisingly Easy: Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars!

It’s The Pumpkin Dessert for Chocolate Lovers– Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars

That’s a ridiculously good combination for fall.

I was busy looking for an impressive dessert without making a complicated dessert and decided, all I have to do is add nutella and it will totally be a crowd pleaser!! Oh my goodness, my daughter and I almost devoured the entire pan before anyone even got home! So, do you want a pumpkin dessert that’s more exciting than pumpkin bread? Let’s go warm and nutty with a brown butter pumpkin bar recipe then stuff it full of luscious nutella!

Fall is totally flooded with 

• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin muffins
• pumpkin cookies
• pumpkin pie
• pumpkin cake

But where’s the excitement? I wanted something with a surprise element but without the extra work. Nutella gives that glossy, silky, indulgent touch of a refined chocolate dessert and BAM, you’ve got soft brown butter pumpkin bars with a hidden Nutella center.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These brown butter pumpkin bars are pretty unreal. They’re also conveniently surprisingly easy to whip up! Here’s what you need:

• Butter: Browning it creates that deep, nutty flavor that makes these bars so good. European-style butter adds even more richness, but regular unsalted butter works great.
• All-Purpose Flour: Gives the bars structure while keeping them soft and chewy.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves all in one.
• Brown Sugar + Granulated Sugar: The combination gives you sweetness, moisture and that perfect chewy texture.
• Baking Powder: Gives the bars just enough lift without making them cakey.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes that brown butter flavor pop.
• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Egg: Binds everything together.
• Nutella: The gooey chocolate-hazelnut layer hiding right in the middle.

How To Make Pumpkin Bars

This recipe comes together in just a few steps, and the most work you’ll do is browning the butter… which I promise is 100% worth it.

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Brown the Butter: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it smells nutty and the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Immediately transfer it to a bowl to cool.
3. Mix: Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, pumpkin pie spice, both sugars, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl.
4. Combine: Stir in the pumpkin purée and egg, then pour in the browned butter, scraping in every last bit of the toasty brown milk solids from the bottom of the pan.
5. Bake: Spread half the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.
6. Nutella: Microwave Nutella for 15-30 seconds, then drizzle and gently spread it in an even layer over the partially baked base.
7. Top: Dollop the remaining batter over the Nutella layer and spread as evenly as you can.
8. Finish: Bake an additional 25-30 minutes until golden brown and set. Cool COMPLETELY before slicing.

Don’t rush the cooling! The Nutella will be very soft while the bars are warm. Let them cool completely so the layers can set before slicing.

Why is My Pumpkin Bar Dry?

I have been recipe testing pumpkin bars for so long and even with all of that pureed pumpkin I’m shocked by how many recipes turn out dry and tasting of dusty and old spices. I needed a moist, tender and flavorful bar to stand up against the power of nutella, both pieces complementing one another and the solution was surprising; Brown Butter!

I tried melted, softened, oil, margarine and finally brown butter and the last was the winner by a landslide. The cooked and cooled butter not only brought on a depth of flavor and fall nuttiness but it actually helped to control how much dry ingredients were added thus ending in the perfect ratio of wet vs dry ingredients. These bars are so easy and now, so moist and perfect! 

Substitutions and Variations

• No Nutella? Use another chocolate-hazelnut spread or try peanut butter for a totally different spin.
• Regular butter works: You don’t need European-style butter. Regular unsalted butter will brown beautifully.
• Add chocolate chips: Because apparently Nutella wasn’t enough chocolate. 😉
• Add some crunch: Chopped pecans or walnuts would be delicious.
• More spice: Add extra cinnamon or a pinch of cardamom for a stronger fall spice flavor.

How to Store Pumpkin Bars

Store leftover pumpkin bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They firm up when chilled, so refrigerating them is actually great if you want really clean slices.

To freeze pumpkin bars, wrap individual bars tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or pop one in the microwave for a few seconds if you want that Nutella center soft and gooey again.

Why is This THE Pumpkin Recipe You Should Make This Fall?

Because brown butter makes it feel sophisticated.

Pumpkin makes it seasonal.

Nutella makes it fun and indulgent.

Bars make it easy!

If you’re going to make one new pumpkin dessert this fall, make it these brown butter pumpkin bars. The pumpkin spice and brown butter would be delicious all on their own, but slicing into that gooey Nutella center is what makes everyone come back for another one.

And yes, waiting for them to cool before slicing is torture. Worth it.

Other Fall Desserts You’ll Love

• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
• Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
• Homemade Apple Pie
• Insanely Delicious Pumpkin Lava Cake

Watch How These Pumpkin Bars are Made…