Pumpkin Ricotta Squares from the Hartford Courant
by: Hartford Courant
Recipe type: Dessert
The shortbread crust requires no rolling or fluting. Ricotta gives the not-too-sweet filling a bit of body. As a finishing touch, add a topknot of sweetened whipped cream to each bar before serving.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter, softened slightly and cut into chunks
Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (5-1/3-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
To make crust:
- Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl, and stir until well mixed. Add butter and, with a fork or pastry blender, incorporate butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly. Pat into a 9-inch square baking pan. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside while preparing filling.
To make filling:
- Combine eggs, pumpkin, ricotta, brown sugar, salt, evaporated milk, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well blended and mixture is smooth. Pour over the shortbread crust. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture over top of filling.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly before cutting into bars or squares.
- Linda Giuca is a writer and co-owner of Alforno Trattoria in Old Saybrook. Contact her at Linda@lindagiuca.com. Christopher Prosperi is chef/owner of Metro Bis restaurant in Simsbury. Contact him at ChristopherProsperi@yahoo.com
Julie made this with a GF shortbread crust one time and it was AMAZING! Don’t forget to bake the shortbread before adding the pumpkin interior – I may have done this and it came out mushy.