Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Pumpkin Pie in a petite little bar form, these Pumpkin Pie Bars are the ultimate autumnal treat! These bars start with a buttery, rich shortbread crust, which is then topped with a smooth and perfectly spiced homemade pumpkin pie filling. The bars are baked to a perfect jiggly-center to ensure a creamy and un-cracked filling. These Pumpkin Pie Bars can then be topped with a little dollop of whipped cream before serving, for a small but enticing dessert!
How to Make the Shortbread Crust
Similar to making shortbread cookies or even sugar cookies, this shortbread crust starts with creaming butter and sugar together. Next, in goes the flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat this all together to form a dough. Place this dough into a parchment lined baking pan and spread it out evenly with your hands. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the dough, and take a flat-bottomed item such as a glass and press down on the dough to ensure it is compact in the pan. Place this into the oven to bake, and when it is done gently press down any parts that have puffed up. Place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
How to make the Pumpkin Filling and Baking
Creating the pumpkin filling for these Pumpkin Pie Bars is as easy as throwing all the ingredients into a bowl, and whisking them all together! Now, just pour the pumpkin filling over top of the cooled shortbread layer, and place into the oven to bake! It is important to put the baking dish on the center rack, to ensure even baking.
As well, not over-baking the Pumpkin Pie Bars is critical to ensure no cracks or fissures happen! Over-baking pumpkin pie or these Pumpkin Pie Bars is the main culprit to unsightly cracks. This is because the longer you bake the filling, the more the egg proteins tighten up – leading to those awful cracks!
When the bars are ready, the center of the filling in the dish should still be jiggly. Test the Pumpkin Pie Bars by giving the baking dish a shake – if it seems liquid still, keep baking, while if it jiggles like Jell-O, it is ready to come out of the oven! If you feel uncomfortable or unsure about judging the doneness by eye, the best way to test if the pumpkin filling is finished is by testing it with a thermometer. It is ready to be taken out of the oven between 165°F and 170°F. Any hotter and you risk it cracking!
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup White Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour,, properly measured†
- Pinch of Salt
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 3 cups Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Large Eggs
- 5 Egg Yolks
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 3/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 3 1/2 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 1/2 tsp All Spice
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- 2 1/4 cups Evaporated Milk
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9”x13” baking pan with parchment paper. Add flour and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla, until just combined. Add dry ingredients and beat to combine until a crumbly dough forms.
- Place dough into baking pan and spread out evenly with your hands. Place a pieces of plastic wrap over top of the surface, then using a flat bottom glass press the dough down to flatten and compact the dough. Remove plastic and place into the oven for 20 minutes, or until it is golden. Remove from the oven and gently press down any puffed-up parts. Allow to cool completely before adding pie filling.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and beat together with a hand-mixer until smooth. Pour filling over top of cooled shortbread layer, then place into the oven to bake for around 45 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still a little jiggly. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
- Remove the pie from the pan carefully, then cut into about 24 squares. Top with whipped cream before enjoying.
These look amazing!! What kind of pan do you suggest using? Glass vs metal? Can I use either?
Thanks! I used metal, however if you want to use glass I would just suggest decreasing the oven temp by 25°F, and increasing the baking time!