My family loves pumpkin pie, especially my mom’s recipe for pumpkin custard pie that we used while we were old order Amish. When I saw recipes for pumpkin pie bars with shortbread crust online, I knew we had to give it a try. My kids have been begging me for these bars topped with whipped topping ever since! The shortbread crust has been a work in progress. The first batch I made was with 2 cups of flour to 1 cup of butter and I found the shortbread to be too thick, so I settled on a shortbread somewhere in the middle with a thinner layer. Let me know in the comments how the crust turns out for you!

For more pumpkin spice treats, be sure to scroll below the recipe card to see my list of favorites.

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Pumpkin Pie Bars

marilynpeight

Pumpkin pie with a shortcut! These delicious pumpkin custard pie bars have a layer of buttery shortbread on the bottom and fluffy sponge-like pumpkin custard pie filling on top. Finish it off with whipped cream and cinnamon to make the bars tasty and beautiful.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Amish

Servings

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust:

12 tablespoons butter softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *see note

Pumpkin Custard Filling:

2 cups milk (heated)
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour rounded
4 large eggs separated
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice *see recipe below
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350:

Crust: Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and well combined, then mix in vanilla. Add flour and mix until loose but wet crumbs remain. Press into the bottom of a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden and set.
Filling: Mix pumpkin puree with sugars, flour, egg yolks (reserve egg whites for later) and spices until smooth.
Heat 2 cups milk until steaming, but not boiling hot. The milk should be hot to touch without simmering or boiling. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then whisk hot milk into the pumpkin mixture and fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined.
Pour the pumpkin mixture over the par-baked shortbread crust, then return the bars to the oven to bake for around 30 minutes or until the filling is set and no longer jiggles in the center.
Allow the bars to cool completely (can refrigerate for several hours to overnight) before cutting. Serve with whipped topping and extra cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

If the crust feels too wet to spread, you can add an additional tablespoon or more of flour.

You can use parchment paper to line the baking dish, but if the parchment paper comes up the sides of the baking dish it can cause the pumpkin bars to be misshapen at the sides.

Be sure to bake the shortbread until set because the filling is pretty wet and can cause the shortbread to have a soft texture if underbaked. If you prefer a soft shortbread bottom, feel free to bake it for less time (around 10 minutes). Some pumpkin filling will soak into the shortbread either way.

Additional notes and step by step photos below.

Keyword Amish Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Bars, Shortbread Crust, Pumpkin Bars

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More Pumpkin Spice Recipes You May Enjoy:

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and well combined, then mix in vanilla. Add flour and mix until loose but wet crumbs remain. Press into the bottom of a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a light golden color and set.

Filling: Mix pumpkin puree with sugars, flour, egg yolks (reserve egg whites for later) and spices until smooth.

What to do if you do not have pumpkin spice on hand:

You can replace the pumpkin spice with cinnamon, or make your own pumpkin spice using Sally’s Baking addiction recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Spice.

Step 2: Heat 2 cups milk until steaming, but not boiling hot. The milk should be hot to touch without simmering or boiling. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then whisk hot milk into the pumpkin mixture and fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined.

Tip for folding in the egg whites:

I personally don’t have the patience to stand over the bowl carefully folding in the egg whites. I just give them a good whip with my whisk and call it a day. It probably is a baking faux pas, but the bars still turn out delicious and well textured.

Step 4: Pour the pumpkin mixture over the par-baked shortbread crust, then return the bars to the oven to bake for around 30 minutes or until the filling is set and no longer jiggles in the center.

Why is the pumpkin puffed up in the center?

The pumpkin filling will rise while baking, but it should settle back down as it cools.

Last step: Allow the bars to cool before cutting into squares, then serve with whipped topping and enjoy! I find the bars taste even better the second day after the spices have a chance to settle in and develop their flavors.

Storage tips:

These bars should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container or if tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. You can freeze these bars, but I have not tried it personally.

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Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust