My New Go-To Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Okay, okay, I know, I know. Thanksgiving was a WHILE ago. But I desperately need to share this pumpkin pie recipe anyway. It's the best one I've ever made...SO...GOOD...so yum. This made enough filling for a 9-inch pie, with a bit extra that I baked alongside it in a ramekin (to test taste just in case!). I served it with vanilla ice cream, but any whipped cream would work well, and it tastes delicious on its own!

I had to bake this a lot longer than what's suggested, but could have baked it a little less. Make sure you mix it COMPLETELY! I put this in Dorie Greenspan's Good-For-Almost-Anything Pie Dough (you can find the recipe here), which was a little flakier than expected but I just pressed it into the pan and it worked amazingly well. Definitely making this again next year!

Pumpkin Pie
Recipe from Linzers in London

1 1/2 cups pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 cups whole milk
2-3 tablespoons brandy


Mix all ingredients except eggs, milk and brandy, then add lightly beaten eggs and milk.

Gently swirl in brandy, then pour into prepared 10 inch pie shell.
Bake at 425 (218 c) for 20 minutes, then turn down to 350 (176 c) for another 25 minutes or until custard is set.

Pumpkin Bread

So I was super bummed with Starbucks started carrying La Boulange instead of the regular beauteous pastries. La Boulange, at first glance, looks okay, but then you realize it's all tired and gross and just does not compare (at least in my opinion--and to be honest I didn't really try all that much, since I was mostly just bummed that they don't have the same exact pumpkin bread). So anyway, the pumpkin bread. Yeah I've seen some Starbucks carry a mini-loaf of pumpkin bread by La Boulange but it is just not the same. So I'm currently looking for the best Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Copycat Recipe.

This one is from CopyKat recipes, found only by google searching "starbucks pumpkin bread recipe". It was okay--actually, pretty darn delicious, but I still don't think it's the same. I can hardly remember the old Starbucks pumpkin bread recipe anymore. I can only hope that I remember it when I taste it! It'll probably take a helluva lot more fat and sugar than I want to add.

Still, this one was pretty good!

Pumpkin Bread

Recipe from CopyKat Recipes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon clove

** if you are going to use pumpkin pie spice, use a scant 2 teaspoons of spice in place of the spices mentioned here

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil (do not use olive or peanut oil)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 to 1/2 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, salt, and spices. Sift the dry ingredients together.

In a smaller bowl mix together the 2 beaten eggs, the oil, and the vanilla. 

Once the liquid ingredients are mixed well pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until the lumps are out. Do not over-stir the mixture. 

Pour into a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of bread. 

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of the loaf. 

Cool for approximately 5 minutes in the pan, and then turn the pumpkin bread onto a cooling rack. The bread cuts best when allowed to cool completely.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layered Brownies

I've made these before. You can find the recipe here. I just want to emphasize HOW. AMAZING. THESE. ARE. You should make them, right now. You don't need an occasion. They are just too good. I made these to use up the rest of my pumpkin after making the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving...in order to not eat the whole batch, I quickly had people come over to eat some and then brought the rest to one of my friends.

Pumpkin Pie

This is wayyy late, I know. I made this for Thanksgiving alongside the Cornbread Muffins I made last year. I really liked the pie filling, but I wasn't so big on the crust. If I made this again, I'd use a different crust recipe. But the filling was great and really easy! I served the pie with homemade whipped cream, and made the pie a day ahead. You can store it at room-temperature.

Pumpkin Pie
Recipe from The New Best Recipe, found here

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For the Pie Filling:
2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger*
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
*(Alternatively, use 2 tablespoons homemade pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large eggs

For the Pie Crust:
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and process until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Drop the butter pieces into the machine and process again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no large than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Fold 4 tablespoons of the ice water into the flour mixture. Combine just until a dough forms. Add another tablespoon of ice water if needed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Remove the refrigerator (if refrigerated more than 1 hour, allow to stand on the counter top until malleable). Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan corners. Trim the dough edges to extend about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold the overhang under and flute the dough edges using the index finger of one hand the the thumb and index finger of the other. Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then freeze until very cold, about 20 minutes.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the pie dough from the freezer and press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil inside the pie shell. Fold the edges of the foil to shield the fluted edge. Distribute 2 cups ceramic or metal pie weights (or dry rice) over the foil. Bake until the dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the Pie Filling by following the instructions below.) After the pie shell bakes 25 to 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil and weights, then continue baking until light golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

For the Pie Filling:
While the crust is baking, prepare the pie filling. Process the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a food processor for 1 minute until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.

As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Whisk the heavy cream and milk into the saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Process the eggs in a food processor until the whites and yolks are combined, about 5 seconds. With the motor running, slowly pour about half of the hot pumpkin mixture through the feed tube. Stop the machine and add the remaining pumpkin mixture. Process 30 seconds longer.

Immediately pour the warm filling into the hot pie crust. Bake the pie until the filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Dorie Greenspan's Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

No post in a while because I've been busy, but luckily for Thanksgiving I had time to bake more! First thing I made was my first pumpkin pie, which I was really nervous about...it turned out okay but I did way too many substitutions and I think they made it lose a bit of flavor. I used pumpkin pie spice instead of most of the spices, and then didn't have cloves so had to leave that out. And I didn't have rum (because I'm not 21) so I left that out, too. But I did make my own whipped cream, which people liked.

I made Dorie Greenspan's Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie (recipe found HERE, and originally made Dorie Greenspan's Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough (also on that same link), also available in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. But this pie crust kinda freaked me out--I didn't know I wasn't supposed to add ALL the ice water, just enough to make the dough pliable, so my dough ended up looking like this:

So, unsure about whether it would work out, I whipped together a different pie crust that turned out a bit small but was looked a little better. I'll post that recipe below. Anyway, when I prebaked Dorie's pie crust as she instructed, the edges turned a little dark...but I still poured the batter into this one because the pie crust worked out anyway. It turned out, Dorie's recipe had enough for both of my pie crusts to be filled!! I don't know if that was because she intended it for deeper pie dishes or what, but it worked out and I used both my pie crusts.

My friend hosted Thanksgiving to 20 people, and about one and a half to three fourths of my pies were eaten. I didn't think it was GREAT, but it was good.

Basic Flaky Pie Crust
From Allrecipes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water


Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.

Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

(Above) The first pie crust
(Above) Second pie, unbaked

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layered Brownies

Last Saturday I made these to bring to my friend's Halloween party. I didn't have a square pan, so I stuck them in a 9-inch round pan and they worked fine. I also cut the brownies smaller and it made a lot more that 16--they were pretty tall brownies so it didn't matter that I cut them smaller. They were a big hit! I thought the pumpkin flavor was the perfect amount!

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layered Brownies
Recipe by Martha Stewart

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Okay, maybe I'm taking the weak way out. I've been jet-lagged and job-searching and haven't had time to bake anything new. But at least I'm giving you a recipe! Unfortunately, this is a recipe more appropriate for when I made them in October, but that's okay. I promise to make it up to everyone in a very good way, soon!

These cookies were delicious. Half my friends preferred them with the icing, and half without. I thought that the icing made them more like cookies, because without it they were more like scones because they weren't as sweet or dense as cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
Adapted from allrecipes by me. Found on My Baking Addiction

2 cups unsalted butter; softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (solid; not pie mix)
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream shortening, butter, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well.

Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Mix the cream cheese with the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl. Heat in a microwave for 15 seconds. Drizzle spoonfuls over the cooled cookies and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula.