Perfectly Easy Pumpkin Pie
Servings: 10 servings
This recipe has two unique ingredients that will make you the star of the dessert game.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound prepared pie dough
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 very ripe banana, peeled
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup vanilla-sugar (or granulated sugar)
Instructions
- Pre-heat an oven to 425°F.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the pie dough into a circle that's approx. 14" in diameter.
- Transfer the dough to a 9" pie plate. Fold under excess dough to create crust. Flute the edges of the dough using your fingers or the floured tines of a fork.
- Place the pie plate into the freezer to allow it to firm up.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cold water in a small mixing bowl until foamy, then set aside for later.
Prepare the Pie Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together the ripe banana and the light brown sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed. Blend until the sugar has dissolved and the banana is broken down to small pieces- about 3 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, and the orange zest. Blend, once again, on low speed until everything is incorporated and smooth.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, kosher salt, half-and-half, and the vanilla extract to the mixture and blend (again on low speed) until the pie filling is smooth.
- Remove the pie crust from the freezer and use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash onto the rim of the pie crust.
- Pour your pumpkin pie filling into your pie dough shell and carefully place the plate into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F.
- After 15 minutes, reduce the oven's temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, or until the very center of the pie is barely jiggling. If you overcook the pie, the filling will develop a large gash in the center.
- Once the pie has been removed from the oven, allow it to cool; then refrigerate it until ready to serve.
Whip the Cream
- Add ice water to the larger of two stainless steel bowls. Into the smaller bowl, add the heavy cream.
- Begin whipping the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed, just until the beaters begin to leave ribbons in the surface of the cream.
- Slowly add the vanilla-sugar/sugar. Once the sugar has been added, increase the mixer's speed and whip until the cream is thick enough to hold a peak when the beaters are lifted from it.
- Keep your pie refrigerated until you're ready to serve. Top with your preferred amount of whipped cream.
Notes
- To add more decoration to the pie, roll out an additional piece of pie dough and cut it into shapes using a cookie cutter. Brush the dough with more of the egg wash. Bake these on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until browned. After you've removed your pie from the oven, carefully place the baked dough decorations onto the surface of the pie in a decorative pattern.
- Because pumpkin pie is a custard which has potentially hazardous ingredients (eggs and cream), it can cause a foodborne illness if it's kept at room temperature for too long. Keep the pie refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
- Pumpkin pie will keep, under refrigeration, for 3 days.
- This recipe is easily altered to make sweet potato pie by substituting mashed sweet potato for the pumpkin.