Pumpkin Pie Squares

Pumpkin Pie Squares are like pumpkin pie for a crowd. They are easy to make and can be made a day ahead. Store them in the refrigerator – they will be ready when you are ready for them.

There is a bakery near my home that makes something similar to these, but the recipe has eluded me for several years.  I LIVE for when the bakery makes these in the fall.  Sometimes on my way to work I stop and get one…for fortification during peak hours of stress.

Last year I promised myself that this year I would figure out a recipe for those bars, the crust being the only thing that was just out of reach for recipe reverse engineering.  However, lucky me, they changed the crust this year and laaaaaah, I’ve got the recipe figured out.  No biggey, thanks to all of those gooey butter cake recipes floating around cyber bakingville.

Needless to say, I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. I can make my own Pumpkin Pie Squares and don’t have to wait on the seasons to change.

Recipe Notes

Cake Mix. Use whatever yellow cake mix you prefer. I used a Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix. Use the cake mix as instructed in the recipe below. I do not know how a gluten-free cake mix will work. If you make this recipe gluten-free, drop back by and let us know how it turns out.

Pumpkin Puree. It is important to use canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix. They are two different things. I have found that Libby’s brand pumpkin puree works out best in my recipes. It is more solid, less watery, than other brands of pumpkin puree.

Whipping Cream. Regular or heavy whipping cream can be used in this recipe.

Evaporated milk. Make sure that you use evaporated milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk.

Pumpkin Pie Spice. I like to mix up my own pumpkin pie spice. It has bigger flavor and I can always be sure of the freshness of the ingredients. My favorite recipe is from the blog Live Well Bake Often. The pumpkin pie spice is also used as a garnish.

The Topping. The topping is whipped cream, with a finishing dust of pumpkin pie spice. I used a texture tool to give a decorative touch to the whipped cream. The tool is like a bench scraper except with a decorative edge. I used a fine-meshed strainer to add a “dusting” of pumpkin pie spice to the top of the whipped cream.

Make Ahead and Storage. These squares can be made a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Be sure to refrigerate leftovers, covered.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 24 bars

Calories: 247.29kcal

Author: Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten

For the Filling:

• 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) Libby's brand preferred for best results
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for mixing with whipped cream later in recipe
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups whipping cream, divided
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk not sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice, plus more for sprinkling on top whipped cream topping
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F. Butter a large baking pan (1/2 sheet cake pan--measures approximately 18"x13"x1"). Set aside.

For the Crust:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, melted butter, and beaten egg.
• Spread crust mixture evenly in the baking pan. It is best to use your hands for this. Set aside.

For the Filling:

• In a large mixing bowl stir together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla.
• Add 1 cup of the whipping cream and the evaporated milk to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until well combined.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust. The pan will be very full.
• Carefully move pan to oven. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool completely.

For the Topping:

• Whip remaining cup of cream with 1 tablespoon white sugar until of spreading consistency.
• Spread cream on cooled pumpkin bar mixture.
• Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice. I put a little spice in a very fine mesh strainer and tapped it gently over the whipped cream. Store, covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve. Store leftovers, covered, in fridge.
• Slice into 20-24 bars, depending on desired size. Nutrition count below is based on 1/24th of recipe.

Notes

Recipe by Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Nutrition

Serving: 1square (1/24th recipe) | Calories: 247.29kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.74g | Protein: 2.44g | Fat: 12.71g | Saturated Fat: 7.67g | Cholesterol: 71.45mg | Sodium: 310.35mg | Potassium: 50.11mg | Fiber: 0.33g | Sugar: 22.36g | Vitamin A: 465.72IU | Vitamin C: 0.24mg | Calcium: 73.73mg | Iron: 0.76mg

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