Thanksgiving Feast: Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
By Katie Goodman
I have had so many failures with pie crust — too sticky, too dry, full of cracks — that for a while I just resigned myself to buying either frozen crusts or those ones you roll out and shape yourself. But that’s really not my style. I love homemade, not store-bought. When I found this recipe from Simply Recipes, it seemed so easy and straightforward that I thought it was worth another go. With such great results on my first try, I felt the confidence I needed to never look back at those store-bought crusts again.
If you’re trying to save time on Thanksgiving, you can make the recipe up to Step 5 and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the pie. Just let it sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes before you roll it out.
All Butter Pie Crust
Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.
Ingredients
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, cold
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
2–4 Tbsp ice water
Step 1: Cube the butter into ½” pieces. Place them on a freezer-safe plate or cutting board and freeze until very firm, approximately 30 minutes.
Step 2: Sift together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the flour mixture to a food processor along with the butter. Pulse the ingredients until the butter is cut into coarse crumbs.
Step 3: Turn the contents of the food processor out into a bowl. Using a fork, stir in the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes a crumbly dough and forms together.
Step 4: On an un-floured surface, turn the dough out and shape it into a circle, approximately 6″ in diameter, kneading as little as possible (pockets of butter are what keep the crust flaky and tender).
Step 5: Dust both sides of the circle with a bit of flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for an hour.
Step 6: Remove the dough from the refrigerator or freezer. Set it aside while you dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Unwrap the dough and roll with a rolling pin until the dough has formed a circle about 12″ in diameter and 1/8″ thick.
Step 7: When the dough is the proper size, wrap it gently around the rolling pin to transfer to the pie plate.
Step 8: Press the dough into the 9″ pie plate and shape the edges according to your desired design.
Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook 12th Edition.
This is my family’s absolute favorite version of pumpkin pie. It’s not that we’ve tried hundreds of recipes or tested and tweaked for years. We just found one we really like, made a couple of changes, and have stuck with it. There’s never been a need for us to try a different recipe. Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping is our family’s “must have” recipe. Everyone wants to make sure we’re having the “pumpkin pie with the pecans.” And we always do!
Ingredients
15 oz can pumpkin
3 slightly beaten eggs
1/3 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp softened butter
Single crust pie, prepared as directed above
Directions
Step 1: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, zest, salt, and spices.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and lightly beat by hand until well combined. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pastry-lined pie plate. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
Step 4: While the pie bakes, stir together the brown sugar, pecans, salt, and butter until combined. Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the pie.
Step 5: Bake for 20 minutes more or until the center is set and the topping is golden and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.
Tip: It’s easier to remove the first slice of pie from the plate if you cut the first piece and then cut the second before removing the first.
About the Author:
Katie Goodman resides in New Mexico with her husband and two children (a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl). Learning in the kitchen, eating, trying new recipes, and sharing them with friends and loved ones are some of Katie’s favorite things to do. She wholeheartedly believes that part of the goodness in life is enjoying good food with good friends and family, and goodLife {eats} is a place for her to share what she finds good in the kitchen.
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