Pumpkin Pie Shortbread Bars

Are you a pumpkin pie lover but sorta of meh on the crust. Then this might be a great solution for your pumpkin pie craving. Each year when I make pumpkin pie, I notice, as I am clearing the dishes, that the soggy crust of the pie doesn't get eaten. When I found this recipe, I thought it might be a nice solution to the problem. It has the traditional pumpkin pie custard but a buttery shortbread crust that pairs nicely with the custard.  

Shortbread Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, chopped into chunks

Custard filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup evaporated milk

Maple Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 8" x 8" baking pan with baking spray.  Put flour, sugar, salt in a medium bowl and mix.  Add chunks of butter, and cut into with pastry blender till coarse crumbs.  Press into baking dish to create a flat bottom.  Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned.  

Make pumpkin pie filling. In a small bowl whisk together sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves.  In a large bowl whisk together egg, pumpkin, and the sugar mixture.  Whisk in the evaporated milk.  Pour over the prepared shortbread crust.  Bake at 350° F. for 32-35 minutes. Cool completely. (Can put in fridge for 30 minutes.)  While bars are cooling make the maple cinnamon whipped topping. 

Mix whipped cream with a hand held mixer till has body then add sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup and continue whipping till you get stiff peaks.  To serve place whip cream in a icing bag topped with desired piping tip and put a decorative dollop of whip cream onto of each dessert square.  
Serves:9-16

*Note:  This is richer than pumpkin pie due to the shortbread crust so, you can serve these as 1-inch squares to get 16 servings.  But, that is a really small dessert.  So you can get more like 9 out of the 8" square pan.  In the picture of the ones I made they are about 1 1/2 inch-squares.  
recipe adapted from: Willow Bird Baking

Enjoy!

Sherry