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Pumpkin pie bars with buttery shortbread crust and whipped cream

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Pumpkin pie bars with a buttery shortbread crust and smooth spiced filling — all the flavour of pumpkin pie, sliced from one pan, no pie dish needed.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chilling Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 15 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Shortbread crust
  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin filling
  • 1 can (29 oz / 822 g) pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling) — or two 15 oz cans
  • 1 can (12 fl oz / 354 ml) evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
To serve (optional)
  • lightly sweetened whipped cream

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides for lifting the slab out later.
  2. Make the crust: stir the flour, sugar and salt together, then stir in the melted butter until a soft, even dough forms. Press it firmly and evenly into the base of the pan (the flat bottom of a measuring cup helps). Bake 18–20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden.
  3. While the crust bakes, whisk the filling: pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs and yolk, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla and salt — whisk until completely smooth, but stop once it comes together; over-whisking adds bubbles.
  4. Pour the filling over the hot crust and smooth the top. Return to the oven and bake 40–45 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight jiggle when the pan is nudged (a knife inserted near the centre should come out mostly clean).
  5. Cool completely in the pan on a rack, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight — this chill is what makes the bars slice cleanly.
  6. Lift the slab out by the parchment, cut into 15 bars with a long knife (wipe the blade between cuts for clean edges), top with whipped cream if you like, and serve cold or at cool room temperature.

Notes

Total time includes cooling plus a minimum 4-hour chill (ideally overnight). The chill is what makes the bars slice cleanly — warm bars cut ragged, fully chilled bars cut with clean edges and hold their shape.