Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Cookie Crust
These Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Cookie Crust are the delicious bites you need to make this Fall! A delectable blend of fifteen indulgent, impeccably sweet, and creamy pumpkin treats, enriched with an extra dose of pumpkin goodness and just the right touch of pumpkin pie spice, all nestled on the easiest homemade shortbread cookie crust imaginable! Each slice is generously topped with the most delicious Chantilly cream and finished with a light dusting of pumpkin pie spice. These bars are so easy to make using only a handful of Fall pantry staple ingredients. Enjoy these delicious treats at room temperature for the ultimate Fall treat!
→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Pumpkin Pie Bars
About The Recipe
With Fall fast approaching, there’s no better time to bake these pumpkin pie bars! They’re so easy and absolutely delicious.
I’m actually the only one in my family who truly enjoys pumpkin.. So, I asked my mom to make these to kick off the start of September. They were actually an instant hit in our household and around our neighborhood!
They are creamy, perfectly sweet, with just the right hint of pumpkin spice.
It’s like the ultimate pumpkin pie…but SO much better. These bars are definitely the perfect treat to share with your friends and family during the holidays!
Equipment Needed
- Mixer
- 8×12 Inch Pan
- Cooking Spray
Ingredients
For The Shortbread Crust:
- Unsalted Butter – adds moisture, richness, and flavor.
- Sugar – sweetens the shortbread and helps with texture.
- All-Purpose Flour – has just the right amount of protein to give this crust the perfect structure.
- Vanilla – imparts a subtle undertone that enhances the flavor.
For The Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- Pumpkin Puree – makes this filling more flavorful, deeper in color, and silky smooth.
- Brown Sugar – adds sweetness and a bit of depth from the molasses.
- Salt – enhances the flavor.
- Heavy Cream – provides a rich, creamy flavor. The higher fat content is essential for a smooth baked custard filling.
- Eggs – binds the filling together and thickens it.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – is the essential blend of spices that makes pumpkin pie so irresistible.
- Vanilla – adds a subtle undertone that enhances the flavor of the filling
For The Chantilly Cream:
- Heavy Cream – has a high fat content that makes the whipped cream sturdier and able to hold peaks.
- Vanilla – adds a subtle undertone that enhances the flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – dissolves easily to provide the perfect amount of sweetness.
Instructions
With an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
Add in the flour a little at a time until it’s thoroughly combined.
Place the shortbread dough in a greased pan, pressing down until the dough is level. Bake at 300℉ for 20 minutes.
While the shortbread is baking, mix together all the ingredients for the filling.
Pour the pumpkin filling over the crust.
Bake for at least an hour or until the filling is set. Take out of the oven and let cool. Slice into 15 squares and use a cookie spatula to take each square out of the pan.
Whip the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl until medium-stiff peaks form.
Spread or pipe Chantilly cream over the bars, dust with pumpkin pie spice, and serve!
What To Serve With These Bars…
There is nothing better than delicious fall flavors, but when you add just a few extra bits… They become even more irresistible! Enjoy these bars with the recipes down below for the ultimate treat.
How To Store
You can easily store these bars in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for about 3-5 days. If you would like, and if there isn’t any Chantilly cream on them, you can actually set them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them back up!
Expert Tips
- Make sure you have canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling!
- Try and get the shortbread as even as you can!
- The pumpkin is a little hard to tell when it’s set. You can shake it slightly or use a knife/cake tester to see if it’s done.
- Let it cool completely before cutting!
When you make these Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Cookie Crust, leave a comment down below and/or give this recipe a rating! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Cookie Crust
Ingredients
Crust
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1⅜ cups salted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 cups canned pumpkin
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Chantilly Cream
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Spray an 8 inch x 12 inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in flour, a little at a time.
- Add vanilla.
- Press cookie mixture evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Set aside.
Filling
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, heavy cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Using a whisk, mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour over cookie crust.
- Return to oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, until set.
Chantilly Cream
- In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
- Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
Notes + Tips!
- Try and get the shortbread as even as you can!
- The pumpkin is a little hard to tell when it’s set. You can shake it slightly or use a knife/cake tester to see if it’s done.
- Let it cool completely before cutting!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
These Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust are amazing! I love this recipe! I first made an 8 x 12 inch pan according to the original recipe, and then got adventurous and expanded it to make SIX 13 inch x 18 inch pans for our church Thanksgiving meal! The recipe is so versatile I was able to make adjustments easily for the much larger size pan. Of course the baking time is longer but they all came out perfectly! Also, I live in Colorado and baking recipes usually require adjustments to be successful at the high altitude, but this recipe for the Pumpkin Pie Bars with the Shortbread Crust worked perfectly even at our high altitude! I got many compliments on it and it is a definite keeper!
Hi Helen! Oh my gosh, we’re so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for making our recipe and sharing it with everyone 😊 We hope you find lots more of recipes to love on our blog! x, Caylie
These look amazing and i want to try it but i don’t have an 8×12 pan.What would you recommend that i use,thank you.
Hi Natasha! You could use a 10″ square pan. You could also use an 11″x7″ or a 9″x13″. Keep in mind, if you do, that the cooking times will have to be adjusted because you will have thicker bars with the 11″x7″ and thinner bars with the 9″x13″. If you choose to use either of those, you could also try adjusting the quantities in the recipe.
Got it..thanks so much 🙏🏽
Can I make the chantilly cream a couple days in advance? Will it still pipe on ok or does it harden?
Hi Camille! I really wouldn’t make it in advance. It will split and become watery. Your best bet is to make it just before you use it.
I made these and they are delicious. I really like my pumpkin pie spicy so I added an extra teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Other than that I followed the recipes to the tee. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Oh and it’s almost Halloween so I made 2 whip cream ghosts. BOO!👻
Hi Susie! We’re so glad to hear you loved these pumpkin pie bars! I love the idea of the whip cream ghosts, that’s so cute!
You really messed me up with your cut into 9 squares. And the picture is 15 lol. Guess we’ll have seconds for dessert
Hi! I just saw in the post what you were referencing! This post is a bit older and has been updated a few times. I missed updating the amount in the written post, but it’s all fixed! This recipe makes fifteen bars. Sorry for the error! Hope you make this delicious recipe and love it just as much as we do. Thanks! Xo, Caylie
This recipe was so simple and absolutely delicious! Wow! Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed by the whole family 🤙🏽
Hi Leah! We’re SO glad to hear you and your family loved this recipe! It’s one of our favorites for the Fall season. I hope you make it again soon! Xo, Caylie
Just made these ahead of time for our thanksgiving meal, (& had to taste test prior, of course) they’re sooo good! Hoping they make it to actual thanksgiving, they may be gone before then!
Baked these for our Thanksgiving dessert! They were delicious, and a total hit with everyone! Thank you for sharing! 🥰
Hi Jessie! I’m so glad to hear you and everyone else liked these bars just as much as we do! They’re one of my favorite desserts for Thanksgiving. Thank you for baking them! Happy Thanksgiving 😋 Xo, Caylie
Can the short crust be made with coconut oil in place of butter? I have to accommodate for a dairy allergy.
Hi Emily! It technically should work, but we’ve never tried it. It’ll change the flavor of the crust. So, please let us know how it works! Xo, Caylie
ok so I started making this. in one spot your recipe said one can of pumpkin. The nest time I looked it up it said two cans pumpkin. Back to the store. Maybe you meant two 15 oz cans or one large can?
Hi, LouAnn. The amount is 2 cups, which is 1 can. We’ve been updating to make our website more accessible and easier for screen readers.
The ingredients are there but not the right directions . Direction please!
Hi Judith! The directions are correct. We personally write every direction and ingredient. I hope this helps!
Hi. You have unslated butter here, but just “butter” on another site.. Is it really unslated? Thank you
Hi Jean! It’s unsalted butter. Xo, Caylie.
Just so you all know – 21 tablespoons of butter is actually an easier measure of 1 1/4c + 1 tbsp of butter. So save yourself the counting and do it the easy way!