The Best Pumpkin Pie. Ever.

Sorry for the delay. I think I have gotten more emails and comments about this pumpkin pie (when I posted in on Facebook) than anything else on my blog ever. Maybe I exaggerate by a few, but ya'll are seriously on to something, because this pie is DELICIOUS.

I know everyone has different tastes, and I may love tomatoes and you can't stand them, but I really think this is the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. There are so many things that just make it pure genius. Like the topping - ever think to mix Cool Whip with cinnamon and ginger? Me, either. But it's GENIOUS. And delicious. And, surprisingly simple to make. Not the topping, the whole pie. I was all prepared with my lil pumpkin from the store that Christian was begging me to spare, and thankfully, this recipe called for canned pumpkin so his little pumpkin's life was spared.

Well, that day. I did use him to make pumpkin soup the next week. And that was seriously yum too. I have an obsession this time of year with pumpkin, can you tell?

Enough rambling, on to the recipe!

PUMPKIN PIE SPECTACULAR

I know I posted this picture already, but it just makes me all sorts of happy. And I probably would be busting on out with some pumpkin pie this evening, but I made Giant Oatmeal Spice cookies this evening, so it's curbing my obsession. Momentarily.

I had this same problem last  year, this need to bake, and I blamed it on pregnancy. Poor Avery, she was wrongly blamed. It's FALL! Fall does it to me every time. The air gets cooler and I feel the need to stuff my face with sugar and Cool Whip. Strange.

Back to the recipe. For reals this time.

2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 40)
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pecan Streusel
7 thin ginger cookies, halved
Ginger Spice Topping, ground cinnamon

1. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next 3 ingredients. Press mixture on bottom and sides of pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack (about 30 minutes).

2. Stir together pumpkin and next 6 ingredients until well blended. Pour into prepared crust, making sure you spill some so you can lick it up. I'm serious, I would lick this batter off my counter, it is that slap-your-Mama good. And you know me and germs, so that's saying a lot. Who knows what lurks on my counters? Place pie pan on aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle Pecan Streusel (we're getting to that. Don't leave this part off. It is DIVINE. I wonder how many synonyms I can come up with for DELICIOUS?) around edge of crust. Bake 40-45 minutes or until set, shielding edges with aluminum foil during last 25-30 minutes of baking, if necessary. (I wasn't sure if this was necessary or not, but I did it anyway. I didn't want to ruin PUMPKIN PIE SPECTACULAR. You won't want to, either.) Insert ginger cookies around edge of crust. (I left off this part because I didn't want to buy a whole pack of those Anna's Ginger cookies from World Market just for a decorative effect. My family is into taste, not looks.) Let cool completely, about an hour. Dollop (I love the word dollop) with Ginger-Spice Topping; dust with cinnamon.

PECAN STREUSEL:(Wow, streusel is a tricky word to spell)

Stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 2 Tbsp melted butter; and 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped.

GINGER-SPICE TOPPING

Stir together 1 8 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; and 1/4 tsp ground ginger.

Then sit back, and enjoy the most deliciously divine pumpkin pie ever. And then let me know if you made it and how you liked it. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Comments

[Amber]

Hey, friend! You're so funny. Fall makes me all kinds of Betty Crocker-like, too. :) I will be trying this recipe...and here is one for you. It's in the latest Southern Living magazine (which if you don't get, you can find online at http://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/). Anyway...the recipe is for Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins. They are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS and EASY! With your love of pumpkin, I promise you will love them. And so will everyone else -- if you share. :)

[Renee]

Yum! That pie looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I'll let you know if we try it out.