Pumpkin Praline Pie
Thanksgiving has come and gone so quickly this year. As I listened to people talk about their plans for the special day, I realized what a great holiday Thanksgiving truly is. No fuss over presents, just quality time with family, friends, and of course delicious food. I think I’ve come to the conclusion it’s the best holiday of the year. This year was the second year Gabe’s family and mine came together at my parents house to celebrate. It was great, the Eagles slaughtered the Cowgirls, the Niners couldn’t quite say the same, nonetheless we all had wonderful time just relaxing, enjoying the feast, and reflecting on so much that we have to be thankful for.
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Now, when it comes to dessert on Thanksgiving, sometimes I feel it almost gets forgotten. Everyone is usually so full from dinner, no matter how early you eat. But for the last few years I’ve made pie, and everyone manages to have at least a sliver to finish off the evening. This year, I branched out from my usual Pecan Pie and tried something new, Pumpkin Praline Pie. It’s a lovely combination of my two favorite pies, Pecan and Pumpkin. It was my second time making this pie in a week, since I had made it the first time for a Friends-giving we had the week before. I must say, it took a second time to really master the whole thing. It came out pretty good the first time, but I made some tweaks to the recipe and became a little more comfortable with handling the pie crust. No matter if you make your own pie crust or use pre-made, it still take practice. It’s no easy thing to handle, especially if you only do it once or twice a year.
If you are looking for the perfect holiday dessert and want to try something new, this is the perfect pie for the occasion. Enjoy!
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Pumpkin Praline Pie
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Yield: One 9-inch pie (about 8 generous slices)
Ingredients
1 pre-made pie crust (I used a frozen crust from Trader Joe’s)
Filling
1 15 ounce can pumpkin (pure not pie filling)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
1/4 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Praline
1 cup pecans, chopped finely
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
Don’t forget to defrost your pie crust a day before in the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temp at least one hour before handling. When ready, fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan and par-bake according to package instructions. The Trader Joe’s crust I used needed to be par-baked for 9-11 minutes before adding the pie filling.
After, I removed my pie shell from the oven for at least 10 minutes, and then covered the crust with foil to prevent it from darkening too much.
Pie filling
In a large bowl slowly mix the pumpkin, butter, sugar, maple syrup, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add your eggs one at time and then heavy cream and mix until fully incorporated. Do not over mix.
Adjust the oven temp to 425 degrees.
Fill the warm pie crust with pumpkin filling and place on a sheet tray, return to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until the custard is set.
Praline
While the pumpkin pie is baking, toss together the pecans and brown sugar in a bowl. Add the corn syrup and vanilla, using your fingers to ensure that ingredients are well blended. Scatter pinched handfuls of the topping evenly over the puffed filling.
Bake until the pecans are fragrant and the topping is bubbling around the edges, about 10 -12 minutes.
Cool the pie completely on a wire rack for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Recipe inspired by Magnolia Bakery.