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Brown Butter Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars
Perfectly spiced and ultra flavorful Pumpkin Pie Bars made with a creamy brown butter pumpkin filling on a butter pecan crust. It's the ultimate Fall dessert with so much cozy flavor. It's easier to make than a whole pie and faster to serve. Top them with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and enjoy them with family at Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Pecan Crust:
- ¾ cups (105g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (50g) finely chopped pecans
- 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Brown Butter Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 ½ cups (375g) pure pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (180ml) evaporated milk or half & half cream
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon (28g) unsalted butter, browned (see this post to learn how to brown butter)
Whipped Cream Topping:
- ½ cup (120ml) cold heavy 35% whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at each side and secure the sides down on the edge of the pan with ¾-inch binder clips.
- Make the crust. Combine flour, brown sugar, salt and finely chopped pecans in a medium bowl and mix to blend well. Add cooled, melted butter and mix it in so it is evenly incorporated. Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly and firmly over the bottom and about ½ inch up the sides. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly while you prepare the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
- Make the filling. First brown the butter. Place butter in a small frying pan and cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until it bubbles, crackles and foams. As the dense foam appears, little brown bits will come up to the surface as you stir and that's when the milk solids start to cook. You can find more details about how to brown butter here. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg, evaporated milk or cream and brown butter in a large bowl and whisk to blend well. Add flour, spices and salt and whisk until evenly incorporated. Pour the filling over the slightly warm crust and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes until set and the filling no longer jiggles in the middle.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Once cool, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove chilled bars from the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides and cut into squares.
- Make the topping. Combine cold cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks using an electric hand mixer. Pipe it over the sliced bars using an open star tip fitted to a piping bag and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
