The second pie I made for Thanksgiving was a spin on a classic. I love pumpkin everything, as you know, but I’m honestly not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie. Yeah, I’ll have a slice if it’s offered, but I could really take it or leave it. Enter: the pumpkin cream pie. This recipe is light and delicious, and gives you pumpkin pie without the pumpkin pie, if you know what I mean. I’ve made this for the past 2 Thanksgivings and I think I’ll just make it a tradition to do it every year- it’s that good.
There’s the pumpkin cream pie at the bottom of the picture!
Pumpkin Cream Pie (recipe originally by the Pioneer Woman)
Note: I was using a regular-sized foil pie pan and ended up having enough of both the crust and filling to make 2 whole pies. (I left about an inch of crust showing on each pie so that there would be a good amount of filling for each.) If you only want to make 1 pie, I recommend using a glass pie plate or an aluminum pie tin, as they seem to be bigger than the foil kinds. Or you could try a deep dish foil pie pan.
Crust
1 package graham crackers
1 1/2 handfuls of gingersnaps *I used the ones from Trader Joe’s
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
Note: The original recipe does not use gingersnaps in the crust. If you want to make a plain graham cracker crust, use 1 1/2 packages of graham crackers and omit the gingersnaps.
Filling
1 3 oz. box vanilla pudding (cook and serve kind)
1 c half and half1/2 c heavy cream
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
2 tbsps whiskey (optional)
1/2 c + 3 tbsps pumpkin puree
1/2 c (additional) heavy cream
2 tbsps brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Grind graham crackers and gingersnaps in a food processor. Add powdered sugar and melted butter and process until totally combined. I used a food processor for the first part, but then used an electric mixer to combine all ingredients, as my food processor is really tiny!
3. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until even and firm. Repeat for second pie pan, if necessary.
4. Bake crust(s) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm and “set.” Remove from oven and let cool completely.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix pudding mix with the half and half and cream. Add spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and thick.
6. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey and pumpkin.
7. Cove the pot and set it aside to cool. When it’s cool enough, put the pot in the fridge to cool completely. Start step 8 when you remove the cooled mixture from the fridge.
8. In a mixing bowl, beat 1/2 c heavy cream with brown sugar until very light and fluffy.
9. Fold in pumpkin cream mixture until combined.
10. Pour filling into cooled crust.
11. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
Serving suggestion: When ready to serve, sprinkle with leftover graham cracker and/or gingersnap crumbs.
This is one of my favorite pie recipes, and it’s so easy to make! Plus, I made it ahead of time, so it was one less thing I had to think about on the big day. Win-win!
To The Window: Adventures of a Twenty Something 