These small-batch Shortbread Pumpkin Pie Bars are everything you love about pumpkin pie, but with an easy shortbread base, crunchy streusel topping, and sweet cream drizzle!
Are you sick of pumpkin yet? I’m not, and I’ve been testing pumpkin recipes since August. TBH, I spend most of the year just waiting for October in all its pumpkin-flavored glory to roll around, so I’ll happily stay here eating Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze , Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies , and Pumpkin Eclairs as long as the air is crisp and the leaves are red and gold.
The one thing I don’t do is break out pumpkin pie until November. Why? I don’t know. Probably for the same reason I only watch Christmas movies between December 1st and the 25th. But, if you are craving pumpkin pie, minus the pie, you’re going to love this recipe: Shortbread Pumpkin Pie Bars with Brown Sugar Streusel and Sweet Cream Drizzle.
This recipe is a totally gaming the no pumpkin pie until November system, because it’s technically a bar, with a killer shortbread base, but the pumpkin layer is literally exactly the same as pumpkin pie.
And, on top of it all is a brown sugar streusel, because as I already established with my Cinnamon Apple Crumb Muffins and Dutch Apple Galette , streusel is one of the greatest things in the world. Finally, there’s a cute little sweet cream drizzle, because it looks pretty and tastes even better. 😉
Shortbread Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe Tips
- Since this is a small-batch recipe, you’ll need a 5×7-inch baking dish or something with approximately 35 square inches of surface area. I like these Pyrex containers * for all my small-batch baking because they’re handy, dishwasher safe, and come with a lid for easy storage.
- These bars freeze very well. To freeze, freeze solid on a plate and then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. To eat, allow bars to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- For the easiest removal and prettiest looking bars, use parchment paper in your baking pan. To line your pan, fold a sheet of parchment paper in half and cut it down so it will fit lengthwise in your greased pan. Press the parchment down over the greased surface and fold the curly ends over the long sides (the short sides will be bare). Trim if necessary. When the bars are done and cooled, you should be able to loosen the short sides with a thin knife and lift the bars right out by the sides of the paper.
- For more fall desserts, try The BEST Dutch Apple Pie , Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts , Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes , and Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting .
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ( 17 g) granulated sugar
- ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- ▢ 1/2 cup milk any percentage
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 122 g) canned pumpkin puree
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ▢ Pinch ground cloves
Brown Sugar Streusel
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 38 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
Sweet Cream Drizzle
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar
- ▢ 2-3 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 5x7-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla until well-mixed.
- Stir in flour and salt until mixed. Scrape dough into your prepared baking dish and press it out into an even layer over the bottom. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolk, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Pour over baked shortbread base and bake for 15 minutes.
Streusel
- While your pumpkin pie layer is baking, in a small bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar. Use your fingers or a fork to mix softened butter into the dry ingredients until crumbs form. Place streusel in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
- Once the timer goes off, drop streusel in crumbles over the pumpkin pie surface. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the surface of the bars. Cut into 6 to 8 bars. For the cleanest cuts, cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting. Bars are delicious at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Easy apple stuffing with crispy, buttery bread bread, celery, and tart apples. A perfect simple side dish for two.
Growing up, we ate stuffing one time per year in my house. That time was Thanksgiving. The stuffing came out of a box. It was fine.
It wasn’t until I got older that I realized 1) stuffing is carboliciously amazing. And 2) good stuffing is suuuuuuuper easy to make. Like ridiculously easy. Cut some bread, cut some veggies, simmer in butter, add seasoning, bake. Done and delicious.
If you have a protein that’s feeling a little lack luster, adding a side of Easy Apple Stuffing instantly adds polish and completeness to your meal!
It’s also super scalable, so you can scale it up or down depending on how many servings you need.Today’s recipe is Easy Apple Stuffing for Two, but I’ve made it for one, and when I roast a chicken , I use this exact same recipe (and a full loaf of bread) to make enough for 10.
This stuffing is one of my fall faves, and the fact that it takes almost zero effort to toss together is the best. Most of the time involved in the making process is just oven time, so active cooking and prep time is about 8 minutes. Not bad for something that tastes this good.
The stuffing comes out buttery and crispy, with the crunch of celery and hint of tart sweetness from the apple. It goes fantastically well with chicken and pork recipes (if I make my Quick Rosemary Pork Chops on the weekend, I always include this stuffing) and it’s going to make you look so good!
Easy Apple Stuffing For Two Recipe Tips
- You can use any apple you like, but I think the tart/sweet of Granny Smith apples gives you the best flavor.
- If you don’t have poultry seasoning on hand, you can mix up your own , and if you don’t have all the ingredients that recipe calls for, sage and thyme are the most important flavors you want to include.
- Don’t like a little sweet in your savory? Just omit the apples completely. Easy Apple Stuffing is still delicious without apples.
- For more apple recipes, try Small-batch Apple Hand Pies , Apple Crumb Muffins , Apple Cinnamon Cake, and Dutch Apple Pie .
Ingredients
- ▢ 4 slices stale* white bread cubed 1 inch
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1 oz) salted butter
- ▢ 1/4 cup diced onion
- ▢ 1/4 cup diced Granny Smith apple
- ▢ 1/2 cup chopped celery about 1 medium rib
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ▢ Pinch of pepper
- ▢ 1/4 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a small baking dish (5x7 is a good size if making the recipe as written).
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, diced apple, and celery. Cook until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix in bread cubes.
- Pour chicken broth over the top, and stir to coat. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until top of the stuffing is toasted and crunchy.
Notes
Nutritional Information Adapted From AllRecipes
Simple and elegant Red Velvet Lava Cakes for Two would be the perfect close to any romantic meal. With chocolatey red velvet cake and molten cream cheese core, this dessert is deceptively quick and easy to make.
How are you enjoying October so far? Are you getting enough pumpkin in your diet? Are you taking in your recommended daily dose of scary literature? 😉
I’m doing my very best to make your October just a little more unsettling with my Creepy Foods from Fiction series . Have you been following along? So far I’ve made Sanguinaccio Dolce from Hannibal and Spectre Apple Pie (Cupcakes) from Big Fish .
Today, I’m posting a recipe for Crimson Peak Red Velvet Lava Cakes!
Have you seen Crimson Peak * ? It’s a delightfully odd mixture of ghost story and Gothic romance and is one of my favorite horror films of the last few years. Plus it has the best cast. Jim Beaver (Bobby!!), Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and the completely glorious Jessica Chastain.
If you haven’t seen it, and you like Guillermo del Toro’s other movies, you should definitely give this one a go!
Unlike the previous two recipes in this series, these Red Velvet Lava Cakes don’t appear in the film, they are just inspired by it. In the movie Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston’s family’s fortune was built on the red clay that they harvest from their land.
It covers absolutely everything on the property, and one of the most striking images in the film is the clay seeping out under formerly pristine white snow like welling blood.
The first time I saw red velvet lava cake, dusted with powdered sugar, gooey with red cream cheese, they instantly brought the movie to mind, and I knew I had to make them for Halloween this year.
And they are beyond tasty. Honestly, I probably should have saved these to post for Valentine’s Day because they are the perfect easy dessert for two, but oh wells!! Halloween it is.
These red velvet lava cakes are a breeze to throw together, and the lava center is not just undercooked cake batter. It’s a molten mixture of cream cheese and sugar. (It’s so good.) And, just in case you were worried, you don’t need any special tools to make them either. They are baked in a plain old cupcake pan (love my little 6-cup Wilton pan *). Easy peasy.
I definitely recommend them for a romantic cozy night in (your creepy haunted house with walls that look like they are bleeding with the love of your life and also your new bride) . 😉
Red Velvet Lava Cake Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses gel food coloring *. It cannot be substituted for with regular food coloring because you just won’t get the deep crimson color with water-based coloring without affecting texture and taste. But…
- If you don’t have gel food coloring, you can omit the coloring completely. The cakes won’t be as pretty or dramatic, but they will be just as delicious.
- For a perfect even dusting of powdered sugar, my favorite tool is a fine mesh strainer. Just add sugar and shake. 🙂
Ingredients
Cake
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 2 oz) semisweet chocolate chopped (good quality chips are fine)
- ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoons red gel food coloring divided
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 15 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ Pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Center
- ▢ 1 ounce cream cheese room temperature
- ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar plus more for cupcake pan
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ▢ Powdered sugar (optional for dusting)
Instructions
Cake
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and oil and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease two baking cups of your cupcake pan. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the entire cupcake cup, sides included, like you’re making a souffle.
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg. Slowly whisk in cooled chocolate mixture and 1/2 teaspoon of the gel food coloring. Stir in flour and salt.
Cream Cheese Center
- In a small bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon food coloring, and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a disposable plastic bag (or piping bag) and snip off one corner.
- Divide chocolate mixture evenly between your prepared cupcake cups. Insert piping bag into the center of the batter and divide cream cheese mixture evenly between the cups.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until edges look set. Cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan before plating and dusting generously with powdered sugar.
- Serve and eat immediately.
Adapted From Food Network
Small-batch Shortbread Pumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ( 17 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- 1/2 cup milk any percentage
- 1/2 cup ( 122 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup ( 50 g) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1/4 cup ( 30 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons ( 38 g) packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ( 1 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
Sweet Cream Drizzle
- 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 5x7-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla until well-mixed.
- Stir in flour and salt until mixed. Scrape dough into your prepared baking dish and press it out into an even layer over the bottom. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolk, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Pour over baked shortbread base and bake for 15 minutes.
Streusel
- While your pumpkin pie layer is baking, in a small bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar. Use your fingers or a fork to mix softened butter into the dry ingredients until crumbs form. Place streusel in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
- Once the timer goes off, drop streusel in crumbles over the pumpkin pie surface. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the surface of the bars. Cut into 6 to 8 bars. For the cleanest cuts, cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting. Bars are delicious at room temperature or chilled.
