Angela DealePumpkin squares with shortbread base
One of the things about cooking is that sooner or later your refrigerator and pantry get overrun with half-cartons of one ingredient and odd portions of another. Freezing items is an option, but if you're like me, sticking things in the freezer is a sure way to forget about them. A while ago, I was faced with the need to make something with a half a 30-oz can of pumpkin puree, which was how I came up with the idea of making pumpkin shortbread squares. I read or heard that canned pumpkin puree is not always pumpkin (sometimes it's squash)--at least, this is the case in North America. But I'm not too picky--I think if you don't have access to fresh pumpkin, or if preparing it is just too time-consuming, canned pumpkin is fine. (The kind I used this time listed pumpkin as its only ingredient.)
To make the squares, I cobbled together parts of different recipes, including one I use for pumpkin pie, with some of my own tweaks. The squares turned out great; I brought them to a family function and people loved them.
Ingredients
Shortbread base
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin filling
2 large eggs
scant 3/4 cup white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not 'pumpkin pie filling', which is sweetened)
1 - 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Note: You can use the equivalent of pumpkin pie spice instead of the last three ingredients.
Oat streusel topping (optional)
Directions
To make the squares, I cobbled together parts of different recipes, including one I use for pumpkin pie, with some of my own tweaks. The squares turned out great; I brought them to a family function and people loved them.
Pumpkin squares with shortbread base
Ingredients
Shortbread base
Pumpkin filling
Oat streusel topping (optional)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Use a pastry cutter to mix into the flour. The mix should form small lumps.
- Sprinkle mix into a 13"x9" baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom using a metal spatula.
- Bake the shortbread in middle of oven until golden, 20-30 minutes. (Check at 20.)
- (While the shortbread bakes) In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the white sugar.
- Beat in pumpkin and evaporated milk.
- Mix in salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves (or pumpkin pie spice).
- Remove the cooked shortbread base from the oven and sprinkle a tiny mixture of flour and sugar evenly over it. This should prevent sogginess. In the picture above, you can see the base absorbed the filling a bit (it looks worse than it actually was)--it's possible that I forgot to do this trick. It works for pies too.
- Pour the filling over the base.
- (Optional) In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the streusel topping and sprinkle over the filling.
- Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until set. Cool completely and then cut into squares.
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I will try and make this sometime - sounds yummy and different.
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
Sydney Table
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Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness