Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie
Heeeeey! So, this is going to be a pretty short post, but you only care that I have another awesome recipe, right? No one bothers to read what I write anyway, right? So bring on the food! I have another awesome bridge-the-gap-between-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas recipe and I wanted you to have it ASAP! I present for your enjoyment: Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie!
The filling of this Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie is traditional, with pumpkin, spices, and juuuust enough sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk. The crust, however, is something entirely different! This gingerbread crust with spices and molasses complements the filling, and hints at the in-between place we find ourselves with the holidays. This pie would be equally appropriate (and delicious) for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (so make it for both)!
I do mention a few tools in the recipe that you might not have in your kitchen. They definitely aren’t required, but they do make the crust come together quicker and easier.
The first is a pastry blender, which makes quick work of cutting in the shortening and molasses. If you’d like to add a pastry blender to your kitchen, you can find one [here].
The second is a bowl scraper, which I like to use to work the dough because it’s flexible shape makes the job much easier, and keeps your hands warming the dough as it comes together. They’re easy to store and easy on the wallet! If you’d like to buy one for yourself, you can find one [here].
That’s it! Just a recipe for an awesome pie, no weird story or strange stream of consciousness to go with it. This time. I’m sure I’ll make up for it in my next post. 😉
Other posts you may like:
Pumpkin recipe from American Heritage Cooking (link here) and crust recipe adapted from Wife Mama Foodie (link here).
Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Gingerbread Crust:
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch cloves
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, diced
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- 2 Tbsp milk
Pumpkin Filling:
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For Crust:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and spices. Add diced shortening and molasses and cut into flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender (see note) until pieces of shortening are pea-sized and smaller.
- Add milk to mixture, and stir or use bowl scraper (see note) to combine. If mixture seems dry, add milk by the tablespoonful until the dough comes together.
- Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic and chill 20 minutes.
- After the dough has chilled, roll the dough out large enough to line a 9" pie pan. Place the crust in the pan, taking care not to stretch the dough (as this may cause it to shrink while baking). Place the crust in the refrigerator until filling is ready.
For Filling:
- Preheat oven to 425F. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour filling into prepared crust. Place pie pan on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350F and bake an additional 35-40 minutes, or until filling is nearly set (only jiggles in the center). Place pie on a wire rack and allow to come to cool completely.
For Whipped Cream:
- Place cold heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start the mixer on low speed, and gradually increase the speed to high. Whip until the cream thickens and forms peaks.