Pumpkin Pie Bars
Decadent, creamy and lightly spiced Pumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 3/4 cups or 300 grams all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp. or 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 cup or 226 grams cold unsalted butter, ( cut in cubes)
- 4 tbsp. or 60 grams cold water
- 1 tbsp.) or 15 grams lemon juice
Pumpkin Filling
- 2 cups 425 grams fresh pumpkin
- 200g grams dulce de leche
- 3/4 cup or 175g brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder
- 1/8 tsp. all spice
- 3/4 cup or 177ml heavy whipping cream
- 3 pcs. eggs
- egg wash
- whipped cream for topping (optional)
Instructions
- For the pie crust, place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and give it a mix until well combined.Add cold butter and pulse it a few times until the texture looks like grainy, small beads. Slowly add lemon juice and cold water, one teaspoon at a time while pulsing.Transfer the dough to a bowl. Using clean hands or a spatula, gently press it and let it all come together. Do not overwork it. If you see little streaks of butter, that’s fine, it’s normal.Wrap the pie dough with plastic wrap. Gently press and form it into a disk shape. Place in the fridge for about an hour until it firms up.
- For the pumpkin filling, scrape the seeds off of the pumpkin. Brush it with some oil and place it in a baking pan skin side up. Bake it in a preheated oven at 200’C for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Let it cool and peel off the skin. Cut into small pieces and place them in a food processor or blender. Blend it until it becomes a puree.Place the pumpkin puree in a saucepan, and add the dulce de leche. Mix over medium heat until smooth. Add brown sugar, salt, and spices. Mix all together and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Heat heavy whipping cream in a microwave until they’re warm to the touch (not too hot). Pour it over eggs while whisking. Add this mixture to the pumpkin filling slowly while whisking. Set aside.
- Sprinkle some flour on your work surface. Roll out the pie dough to .5 cm thick. Use a rectangular baking pan or square pan. I’m using 9x9 inches square pan. Gently lift the dough using your rolling pin and place the dough into your pan. Press all the sides and trim the excess dough. Use the excess dough for the decoration. Simply use a leaf-shaped cutter or cookie cutter. Place the cutouts on a tray with parchment paper and refrigerate until they’re firm.
- Place parchment paper over the pie dough and add pie weights. Blind bake in a preheated oven at 200’C for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and poke the crust with a fork to prevent it from forming air bubbles. Gently lift the sides of the crust by pressing it using a fork. Place some foil strips on the edges of the crust to prevent it from burning. Place it back again in the oven and bake it for another 10 minutes. Remove the foil from the pie crust and pour the pie filling over it. Bake it for about 25 minutes at 180’C.
- Add the decorations on top of the pie and brush and brush them with some egg wash. Finally, bake it again for another 20 minutes at 180’C.
- Let it cool completely. Serve as it is or with some whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Chef's Tip: Do not overwork your dough. It will be stretchy and develop a lot of gluten, leading to a hard crust. The perfect crust should be flaky but with a bite. You're off for a good start if your dough has little butter streaks but can still form a ball.