Pumpkin Squares - My Gorgeous Recipes (2024)

Published: Nov 25, 2021 · Modified: Oct 13, 2023 by Daniela Apostol · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

Pumpkin Squares, or Romanian Pumpkin Pie, Fall's finest and most beloved dessert. Melt-in-your-mouth homemade shortcrust pastry, delicious pumpkin filling with a touch of cinnamon, this is one recipe you gotta try for Thanksgiving. It's not quite the classic pumpkin pie you are used to, but it's absolutely delicious, and so easy to make.

My version of pumpkin bars or squares is a bit different from what people might picture when they want a pumpkin dessert. Let's say this is the Romanian-style pumpkin goodness, rather than the classic American pumpkin pie. Oh, but they are so delicious!

It's closer in texture to the classic apple pie, and it has pie crust at the bottom as well as at the top. Unlike the classic shortcrust pastry, this one uses oil, which means it needs no chilling before baking, and no blind baking either.

The crust and filling are baked at the same time, and the bars are out of the oven in 25 minutes. That really is super easy, and quick too.

Unlike the more traditional pumpkin pie which is made with canned pumpkin puree, these bars are best made with roasted pumpkin, as we need a denser, chunkier texture for the pumpkin, otherwise the bars will ned up being rather messy.

Ingredients needed

• medium pumpkin-3 cups pumpkin puree
• granulated sugar- add more sugar to taste for the filling
• cinnamon
• plain flour - to make the shortcrust
• full-fat milk
• vegetable oil
• eggs + 1 for brushing the pies
• bicarbonate of soda
• semolina
• a pinch of salt

Step-by-step photos and instructions

It's best to start with the filling first, so it can cool down before we make the pie crust. In the oven the pumpkin goes until the flesh it soft, the time depends entirely on how big it is. Once it's baked, scoop the flesh out, add the cinnamon and sugar and leave to cool down completely.

Note! It's it very important to leave the filling to cool down completely, otherwise the crust will end up all soggy. Another thing that helps is to sprinkle semolina over the filling, before the second crust comes on top. This absorbs moisture, and helps the crust bake beautifully.

• beat the eggs with the sugar until it the mixture doubles its volume and had a pale yellow colour
• add the milk and oil, and mix again
• in a bowl, sift the flour, add the bicarb of soda and a pinch of salt
• combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, and use your hands to knead gently until you get a dough that does not stick to the hands

You can add more flour if you feel that the dough is still sticky, although you should not need too much more.

• divide the dough into 2 balls, roll one dough into about ¼ cm thickness
• arrange it on a baking tray lined with a parchment paper, then spread the filling over and sprinkle some semolina on top
• roll the second ball of dough, and line it over the filling
• bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) until golden
• sprinkle over icing sugar

A healthier pumpkin dessert

These delicious pumpkin pies do not require a ridiculous amount of sugar, we only use 2 tablespoons for the filling, and 4 for the crust. But given that we end up with 20 squares, I would say the amount per portion is not too bad at all.

Plus, the filling is made with naturally sweet roasted pumpkin puree. There are no nasty hidden ingredients here, and we know exactly that we use only natural ingredients.

There are 7g of sugar per square, which is way lower than any other store-bought treat has. So, I would definitely consider these pumpkin bars to be on the healthy side. Do give them a go!

Other pumpkin desserts

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Linzer Cookies

Jack-O'-Lantern Pumpkin Hand Pies

If you’ve tried these PUMPKIN BARSor any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can alsoFOLLOW MEonFACEBOOK, andPINTERESTto see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.