Blood Orange Pumpkin Semifreddo Bars
This ninety degree October Texas weather is still not screaming pumpkin pie season. at our last long weekend lake visit, I decided to fuse all those cozy pumpkin pie flavors with some sweet and bitter blood orange into a delicious semi-frozen bar. these blood orange pumpkin semifreddo bars literally mean, “semi-frozen” and are the perfect soft and creamy treat. they boast cozy autumn flavors and also have an added punch of protein- plus, they are naturally sweetened.
the inspiration:
this dessert was simply inspired by pumpkin pie flavors and a wish to brighten those flavors up. I begin with a semi-homemade graham cracker crust with grain-free simple mills honey cinnamon thins. It’s easy to make and sets the tone for cozy pumpkin pie flavors. the second layer is pumpkin with a beloved italian triple cream cheese- mascarpone.
the final layer is a blend of full-fat greek yogurt for protein along with blood orange juice, zest and some honey to add sweetness and a floral note. the combination is cozy, comforting, not-too sweet and definitely reminiscent of that beloved pumpkin pie. I hope you try these blood orange pumpkin semifreddo bars at your next autumn get-together!
semifreddo bar ingredients:
- grain-free honey cinnamon thins: you can also use regular or gf graham crackers.
- pastured butter: adds fat and moisture to the crushed cinnamon thins to form the crust.
- canned pumpkin: the star of the show!
- mascarpone cheese: the base of the pumpkin layer.
- blood oranges: we use both the zest and juice in this recipe.
- full-fat greek yogurt: the base of the blood orange layer.
- natural sweeteners: pure maple syrup and local honey sweeten the bars.
- spices: mineral salt and pumpkin pie spice flavor the semifreddo bars.
how to make this:
these blood orange pumpkin semifreddo bars are very simple to make. you will begin by making the simple crust with crushed honey cinnamon thins, melted butter and spices. press firmly into a parchment paper-lined glass container, careful to leave plenty of parchment paper overhang to help you remove the bars after freezing.
next, make the pumpkin mascarpone layer and add atop the crust. finally, make the blood orange yogurt layer to add atop. the next steps are just waiting! you’ll freeze the bars then bring them to room temperature until they begin to soften and are easy to remove from the glass dish. slice, serve and enjoy!
other delicious autumn desserts:
Blood Orange Pumpkin Semifreddo Bars
Equipment
- 6 cup rectangle glass pyrex dish
- unbleached parchment paper
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- one 4.25 oz box Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
- sprinkling of mineral salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin Mascarpone Layer:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- sprinkling of mineral salt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Blood Orange Yogurt Layer:
- 1.5 cups full-fat greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon blood orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon blood orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- sliced then quartered blood oranges for serving
Instructions
- Line serving dish with parchment paper, leaving a large overhang on both sides. To a food processor, add the Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins and process into a coarse meal. Stir in melted butter, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add to bottom of parchment-line serving dish and press down crust with a measuring cup or jar until uniform all across.
- To a medium bowl, add Pumpkin Mascarpone ingredients and stir until well combined. With a spatula, add atop crust, smoothing evenly.
- Wipe out the bowl and add the Blood Orange Yogurt Layer ingredients. Stir to combine and add atop the pumpkin layer, smoothing delicately across.
- Freeze overnight to harden, or at least 3 hours.
- Depending on how frozen bars are, you will need to leave them out at room temperature at least 30 minutes in order to remove payment paper overhang and slice the bars. When bars have started to soften, slice and serve topped with blood orange quarters and enjoy!
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