Clearly the biggest threat on The Walking Dead isn’t the walkers, it’s baked goods. Carol’s recipes are so good, children don’t even mind being threatened… as long as it means they get a taste of her delicious chocolate chip cookies. These coveted cookies are tasty whether you eat them as-is or make them into dead-inside cupcakes. For Thanksgiving in Alexandria, why not raid the pantry and bake up something special: a pumpkin pie bar with Carol’s famous cookies as the crust. Even walkers can’t resist this delicious holiday dessert.

This celebratory sweet is the finale of Carol’s Alexandria Thanksgiving.

Carol’s Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bars
cookie crust ingredients:
-1 cup flour
-¼ teaspoon baking powder
-¼ teaspoon baking soda
-â…› teaspoon salt
-¼ cup applesauce
-¼ cup shortening
-¼ cup brown sugar
-¼ cup white sugar
-¼ teaspoon vanilla
-¼ cup large chocolate bar, melted

filling ingredients:
-1 (15oz) can pumpkin
-1 (8oz) package cream cheese
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon cloves
-pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep a 9×13-inch baking pan with buttered parchment.

In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the applesauce, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla, until combined.

Add the dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in the melted chocolate.

Press the dough into the prepped baking pan and bake for 14 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer stir together the pumpkin, cream cheese and sugar.

Add the eggs vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

Pour the mixture on top of the prepared crusts.

Bake for 30 minutes until set.

Let cool completely, then cut into bars to serve.

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IMAGES: Jenn Fujikawa, AMC