Let's face it, pumpkin pie is totally seasonal. And you get cravings for it, I know you do. Just once or twice a year, maybe, but even so.
I wanted to find a pumpkin pie recipe that was a little more interesting. Its a wonderful pie, but it never hurts to spruce it up a little. And yes, I have to do everything fancy.
This one isn't extreme or weird, really. Still canned pumpkin, still mostly dried and ground spices and even a store-bought pie crust. But instead of evaporated milk as is traditional in pumpkin pie, this recipe uses heavy cream (you could do half and half, instead). Also, a little surprise awaits you in the bottom of the crust - there are crushed, toasted pecans and mashed up ginger cookies.
I enjoyed the addition of a little spicy crunch at the bottom, as an interesting textural change to a classic custard pie.
Also, (see below pie recipe) this pie uses real whipped cream mixed with maple syrup for a topping. Yum Yum Yum.

1/4 c pecan peices

1/4 c ginger snaps (or almond cookies or even graham crackers), crushed

3 large eggs

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground mace (or fresh grated nutmeg, if you have it)

1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  
• 1 tablespoon water or orange juice
  
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup raisins
  
• 1/4 cup white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the ginger, water/orange juice and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Stir in raisins. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoon) frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons cold milk

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Whisk together.

Add frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater and tablespoon of cream cheese. With your fingers, work the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture, breaking the butter and cream cheese up until they’re in well incorporated into the flour. Some butter bits will be tiny, other the size of small peddles. The dough may even begin to some together in a rough, sandy kind of way.

Combine the milk and oil. Whisk together. Add all at once to the flour and butter mixture. With a fork, begin to combine the ingredients, making sure that all of the flour mixture is introduced to the liquid. The mixture does not need to come together into a ball. Leave it a bit shaggy and dump the dough into a clean 9-inch pie plate. With your fingers, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides. Try to get the dough as even as possible, but don’t worry too much about finger indentations. You can’t fight that.

Place the prepared crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven and prepare your filling. If you’re going to pre-bake your crust, heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the chilled pie crust with foil, weigh down with beans and bake for 10 minutes covered. Remove the foil and beans and bake for 4-6 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

If you need an unbaked pie crust, simply remove the crust from the freezer once your filling is made, fill your pie and place in a preheated oven. Bake according to your particular recipe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can, if you're VERY gentle, make strips for a top crust. Pat down enough dough to cover the top (in this case, I used about a walnut sized piece). With a knife or something flat and sturdy, shape it into a rectangle. Then simply cut slices out and carefully lift them with the knife, place on top of the filling. Think Playdough!

Let's face it, pumpkin pie is totally seasonal. And you get cravings for it, I know you do. Just once or twice a year, maybe, but even so.
I wanted to find a pumpkin pie recipe that was a little more interesting. Its a wonderful pie, but it never hurts to spruce it up a little. And yes, I have to do everything fancy.
This one isn't extreme or weird, really. Still canned pumpkin, still mostly dried and ground spices and even a store-bought pie crust. But instead of evaporated milk as is traditional in pumpkin pie, this recipe uses heavy cream (you could do half and half, instead). Also, a little surprise awaits you in the bottom of the crust - there are crushed, toasted pecans and mashed up ginger cookies.
I enjoyed the addition of a little spicy crunch at the bottom, as an interesting textural change to a classic custard pie.
Also, (see below pie recipe) this pie uses real whipped cream mixed with maple syrup for a topping. Yum Yum Yum.

1/4 c pecan peices

1/4 c ginger snaps (or almond cookies or even graham crackers), crushed

3 large eggs

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground mace (or fresh grated nutmeg, if you have it)

1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  
• 1 tablespoon water or orange juice
  
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup raisins
  
• 1/4 cup white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the ginger, water/orange juice and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Stir in raisins. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoon) frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons cold milk

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Whisk together.

Add frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater and tablespoon of cream cheese. With your fingers, work the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture, breaking the butter and cream cheese up until they’re in well incorporated into the flour. Some butter bits will be tiny, other the size of small peddles. The dough may even begin to some together in a rough, sandy kind of way.

Combine the milk and oil. Whisk together. Add all at once to the flour and butter mixture. With a fork, begin to combine the ingredients, making sure that all of the flour mixture is introduced to the liquid. The mixture does not need to come together into a ball. Leave it a bit shaggy and dump the dough into a clean 9-inch pie plate. With your fingers, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides. Try to get the dough as even as possible, but don’t worry too much about finger indentations. You can’t fight that.

Place the prepared crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven and prepare your filling. If you’re going to pre-bake your crust, heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the chilled pie crust with foil, weigh down with beans and bake for 10 minutes covered. Remove the foil and beans and bake for 4-6 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

If you need an unbaked pie crust, simply remove the crust from the freezer once your filling is made, fill your pie and place in a preheated oven. Bake according to your particular recipe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can, if you're VERY gentle, make strips for a top crust. Pat down enough dough to cover the top (in this case, I used about a walnut sized piece). With a knife or something flat and sturdy, shape it into a rectangle. Then simply cut slices out and carefully lift them with the knife, place on top of the filling. Think Playdough!