Pumpkin-pecan Squares

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, at a cool room temperature (2 sticks plus 2 tb, 255 gms)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (165 gms)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (290 gms)
• 1 cup cake flour (145 gms)
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup sugar (150g gms)
• 2 eggs (100 gms)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar (217 gms)
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans or 1 cup walnuts (4-6 oz)
• 1/4 cup demerara sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 optional- substitute 2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice in lieu of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
• 2 optional- substitute 3 cups (435 gms) of bleached all-purpose flour for the unbleached& cake flours.
• 3 line a 9x13 aluminum baking pan with heavy duty foil.
• 4 leave 2-3 inches of foil sticking out of the pan on the short sides to aid in lifting the finished product out of the pan.
• 5 for the pastry: in a small bowl or plastic bag measure and mix flours and salt.
• 6 in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (can be done with a hand mixer), mix the butter, vanilla extract and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• 7 add flours 1 cup at a time, on medium speed, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition.
• 8 continue mixing until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.
• 9 press dough into prepared pan about 1/4-inch thick.
• 10 prick the pastry with the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer.
• 11 chill until firm, about 20 minutes.
• 12 while the pastry is resting, place rack in center of oven.
• 13 preheat to 375 degrees f.
• 14 spread nuts on a cookie sheet and roast for 5-10 minutes, unitl hot and aromatic (do not burn them!) allow to cool bake pastry until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
• 15 have filling ready when crust comes out of oven.
• 16 lower oven temp to 350 degrees.
• 17 for the filling: mix spices, salt and sugar in a small bowl, whisk to combine.
• 18 whisk pumpkin, eggs, yolks, extract, evaporated milk in a large bowl until smooth.
• 19 slowly add sugar/spice mix and beat until well combined.
• 20 pour over hot crust.
• 21 bake for an additional 20 minutes or until just set and still jiggles in the center.
• 22 have topping ready when bars come out of oven.
• 23 for the topping: combine topping ingredients, when filling has set remove bars from oven and evenly sprinkle topping over filling.
• 24 bake for 20-30 minutes, you just want the topping to be browned and about 1/2 melted the filling may start to crack and get a bit puffy.
• 25 cool on a wire rack for several hours, refrigerate overnight, remove from pan, cut into 24 squares, sprinkle sugar on bars.
• 26 keep in refigerator until ready to serve with a dollup of slightly sweetened whipped cream.