Pumpkin Pie Bars

These pumpkin pie bars have a shortbread crust, creamy pumpkin filling, and are topped with whipped cream for a fun twist on classic pumpkin pie!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3

Servings bars

Calories 221kcal

Author Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
pinch kosher salt

Pumpkin Filling

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple extract optional
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

Top With

homemade whipped cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Shortbread Crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and the powdered sugar. Then add in the vanilla extract, flour, and salt and mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
Line a 9x9 inch square cake pan with parchment paper. To make a parchment sling, cut the parchment paper slightly smaller than the width of the cake pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray (I love Bakers Joy or Everbake). Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the pumpkin bars right out of the pan!
Press the shortbread dough into your lined baking pan and smooth into an even layer. Poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to allow air to escape while baking.
Par-bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling (the crust does not have to cool completely before filling).

Pumpkin Bars

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, maple extract, and salt until fully combined.
Gradually stir in the evaporated milk until fully incorporated. The filling should be thin and very soupy in texture.
Carefully pour the filling into your par-baked shortbread crust.
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 25-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it's okay if the center still jiggles slightly).
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours.
I love to top these pumpkin pie bars with homemade whipped cream and an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice!

Notes

Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To get clean slices of these pumpkin bars, run a super sharp knife under hot water until the blade is warm, then wipe it dry. Then cut a single slice and repeat. It's a bit tedious to clean the knife before every cut, but you get perfect slices every time!

Nutrition