When I think of Halloween the first thing that I think about is pumpkins and when I think about pumpkins the first thing that comes to mind is pumpkin pie. A pumpkin pie is pretty simple; at its base it is pumpkin puree along with some eggs to bind it and help it set, some sugar to sweeten it and of course the pumpkin pie spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. From there you can play around with the recipe to make it your own. In my case I added some cream to make give it a nice creamy texture and I could not resist adding a hint of maple. For a crust you could go with a pastry crust or a graham cracker crumb crust but I have been enjoying gingersnap cookies lately and I thought that they would make for a perfect crust for a pumpkin pie. With the crust made and the filling mixed all that is left to do is to bake it until the filling sets. One of my favorite parts of the pumpkin pie is that it smells amazing when it bakes. It is so hard to wait for it to cool down before digging into it. I served my pumpkin pie with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce which added a beautifully salty contrast to the sweet pie. Other common toppings include whipped cream, ice cream, etc.
Pumpkin Pie
A creamy pumpkin pie with a gingersnap crust.
ingredients
- 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or golden syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
directions
- Mix the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, ginger and butter in a bowl.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a pie plate.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until lightly golden brown, about 8-15 minutes.
- Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pie plate.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the filling is set, about 35-45 minutes.
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The caramel drizzled over that pie is so appealing…I'd love to dig right in!
Cool trick or treat event!
I'll have to choose EAT!..love the caramel drizzle..
What a cute idea for a blog event! I just can't believe you don't have a sweet pumpkin pie recipe on here already! I love the add-ins with the gingersnap crust and the caramel drizzle. Splendid.
Personally, I'd pass on the caramel sauce (not a big fan) but the idea of gingersnap crust sounds simply heavenly. The photo is making me drool…
Great photo! 🙂
Gorgeous! That pumpkin pie is to die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
This pie looks amazing. Beautiful picture with that caramel sauce. The trick or treat thing sounds fun – what a cute idea.
that caramel sauce really sets it over the top.
Oh yeah, the caramel drizzle has got me perked up…just awesome!
I love the trick-or-eat contest – fantastic! And it seems only fitting that you'd handle the pumpkin portion of the menu! The pie looks fabulous, and I love the idea of a gingersnap crust. I know I'm getting more pie pumpkins in my CSA this week, and I think this might be on the menu soon.
That caramel drizzle does it for me!! Yummmmy!
I would like to take the whole pie!
holy that looks GOOD!!!!! mmmm thanks!
After that sweet treat, the pumkin milkshake will be ideal!!
Yummy. I have ginger snaps,I have pumpkin pureee, I have creme fraiche……….Done
This has my mouth watering! I am such a huge fan of pumpkin anything but the caramel drizzled on top would be perfection. Great photo as well!
I think of candy when Halloween comes to mind then pumpkin. ;-D
Looks delicious!! I love all that caramel on top.
What a great blog event.
I like my pumpkin pie Mennonite style – topped with whipped cream and drizzled with maple syrup. But I'm willing to try something like this — if you insist (or not).
i am loving this blog party! i am a big fan pumpkin in all its various forms- it is one of my favorite things about fall. this looks just delicious! thanks for the recipe! 🙂
i don't think i'll ever get sick of all the pumpkin! this looks fantastic!
Nothing says fall then a great piece of pumpkin pie!
Wow, that looks gorgeous! I love the variation of gingersnap crust… that's excellent! Also, I've always been a fan of a cool whip topping, but I believe I might try your caramel sauce instead 🙂
Mmmm caramel. Share share share.
amazing photo, kevin- what could be more fall than a slice of this pie?
I will definitely try caramel sauce on pumpkin pie; you always have the most brilliant ideas to transform ordinary fare into something really special!
This is a cute concept. I'm going to visit all the blogs. Great pumpkin pie.
Beautiful photos..I want a bite!
It's my turn to bake pies for Thanksgiving this year and I have been looking for a way to zip up my traditional recipe. I bet my family would love this one!
Yum – a great idea!
This is so fun, I would have loved to have been involved! Great post Kevin!
OMG!!!! Gingersnap Crust??? Drizzle with CARAMEL???
YUM!!!!!
What a fun blog event. I love the idea of using gingersnaps for the crust (especially since they're my favorite cookie). And the caramel sauce just takes it over the edge. Nicely done.
Yum! I love the idea for a gingersnap crust.
Is it 1/4 CUP of maple syrup, or something else?
I would really like this to be my first pumpkin pie ever! It looks delicious!
How can I replace the maple syrop? Honey? I can't buy that very easily here in Portugal.
Kevin: Yes, 1/4 cup maple syrup.
argas: You could replace the maple syrup with a golden syrup or a corn syrup.
Thank you Kevin. I'll see if a can find any of that! 😛
Thanks for the clarification.
oh this pie looks delicious! Mine turned out a disaster, have to try this one now 🙂
Happy Halloween
http://maltesebakes.blogspot.com/
This looks wonderful and I can't wait to use it to improve upon my usual Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, but I have one question. What size pie plate did you use? Sometimes the stores carry different sizes and I want to make sure to purchase the right one before trying this out. Thanks!
Kacie: My pie plate is about 9 inches across at the top and a little under 2 inches deep.
Do you actually make the pumpkin puree, or purchase it at the store? This looks amazing, btw!! Not weight watchers friendly, I imagine. 😛
Thanks for posting!
Promise
http://mylittlepail.com/pumpkin-pie-history-recipe/
redkarryn: I make my own pumpkin puree though you could easily save time by buying it.
Holy moly, how did I miss this? Just followed the link from your DMBLGiT entry and started drooling… The gingersnap crust is inspired!
i made this for a staff dinner at my school. everyone loved it. the crust was one of my favorites. I served it sweetened vanilla flavored fresh whipped cream. It was delicious.
Yours was the first recipe I found online that added bourbon to a pumpkin pie. Thanks for confirming my idea about that!
Amazing! Made this today. Amazing! So worth the work!
Oh, it makes me dream of November already now. It looks very tasty, I will surely make it this Halloween.
When I told my mom yesterday I was making pumpkin pie she was so skeptical about it. She was so shure she wasn't going to like the taste of it (specially the filling, although she likes pumpkin in other dishes). I told her she didn't have to eat, but after she tried it, she couldn't stop (she absolutely loved it).
Well, I made mine actually with butternut squash (a really orange fleshed one)and a cereal and pumpkin seed based crust (the seeds are imported cause we don't have pumpkin) because we don't have pumpkin nor ginger snap cookies here in Vzla. Excellent recipe, a definite must. And tastes even better with the salted caramel sauce.
How can I un-RSS your blog? It was good while you were away. Ever since you came back, I can't stop drooling all over my desk and keyboard!
I LOVED the gingersnap crust. This is the first pumpkin pie recipe I've tried that used bourbon, and I enjoyed the flavor but I think it was a little over-powering. I would reduce the amount of bourbon to 3/4 tbsp and work from there.
Also I think for spices 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of all-spice works better.
Also I liked the heavy cream in the recipe but I feel like it made the pumpkin pie heavier than it should be. I usually use a higher quantity of evaporated milk and will try to use it the next time I decide to follow this recipe.
I realise this is after the fact – but I have been looking for an appealing pumpkin pie recipe this afternoon and this one really appeals to me! I know what I'm doing this weekend…
Made this the other day and everyone loved it!!!! Thank you! It didnt quite look as god as yours though mainly because I was impatient with mashing the pumpkin.
if only there was pumpkin pie year round…
I did this pie for my mother in law's b-Day last saturday and everyone asked for the recipe. It was really easy and delicious.
I did not find the corn syrup to make the caramel topping so instead, I bought a spekulatius cookies spread (like nutella)and it combined very nice with the gingersnap crumb crust.
Thanks Kevin, I love your blog!!
I made this for Thanksgiving 2011 and when you get the crispy crunch, the pumpkin and the cool whip all in one bite- amazing. Didn't do the salted caramel but I think it was perfect without. My only issue was that the bottom crust kind of disappeared. Not sure if it wasn't thick enough and just got absorbed by the pie.
Hi, Kevin. I'm confused. You say that this goes well with a "salted caramel sauce" but the recipe you linked does not contain any salt, not even salted butter. So how is it salty?
Ocjen: The recipe for the caramel sauce is for an unsalted one. For the salted caramel, just add a teaspoon of coarse salt at the end when you mix in the butter and vanilla extract.
I made this for thanksgiving and it was delicious. The only problem was I made it a day ahead and the crust went a little soggy. Do you think that could be because I didn't realize I had bought gluten free finger snaps
I made this for thanksgiving and everyone said it was delicious but I made it the day before and the crust was a bit soggy or could that be because I didn't realize I had bought gluten free ginger snaps
maggie: the gluten-free gingers naps may have been the cause. Did you use homemade pumpkin purée or canned? Did you use butter for the crust or a substitute?
Gluten free gingersnaps take about 1/2 the butter in my experience. Also, the pie didn't set up for me.
Yikes! I found 1/2 t of clove to be way too much! Crust was good, though.
Spectacular all your pumpkin recipes! You could not install a translator on your page to get the recipes in Spanish?
We just served this pie to two friends of ours, with whom we have an informal and largely amicable "baking war of attrition". I never got around to the salted caramel sauce, and upped the cinnamon and ginger to "heaping" measurements, but otherwise followed it exactly.
Possibly the best pumpkin pie recipe ever, and I am delighted to devote all of my future Thanksgiving and Christmases to tinkering with it.
They took seconds and left with the leftovers, so I think we definitely win this round. Thank you, Kevin!
I have been practicing desserts for the big day. I've now tried two of yours and both turned out perfectly!! I use the plain pumpkin pie (cuz you gotta keep tradition, too, right?) found here. (http://www.funnytummycafe.com/2013/11/08/perfect-pumpkin-pie/) It fit in with this recipe of yours as if they were long lost siblings. Hooray!
~Kara (I don't have any of the profile options… the only reason I'm Anonymous:)
Hello Kevin ~
I have a question regarding the Bourbon used in this Pumpkin Pie recipe; even though I realize it’s an optional
ingredient. I’m wondering if after baking it, the alcohol will have cooked out of it leaving just the flavour ~
or, will it still have the same result of potency? We have to be a bit careful with some guests who would be
attending our meal. I would never serve anything questionable.
Thanks, so much…..
Carole
Hi Carole! Some of the alcohol, but not all, will be cooked out. If you are concerned about the alcohol, please omit and add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. (Also: Use an artificial vanilla extract as real vanilla extract is usually made with alcohol as well.) Enjoy!