Here’s what made this pie-baking weekend one to remember:
- Finally made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and remembered why it’s my favorite
- Took on homemade pie dough for the first time using a recipe passed down from Nana
- Swapped in cold butter and ice water for a flakier, more flavorful crust
- Turned extra dough into decorative leaf cutouts to give the pie a cozy, fall look
- Also made an apple pie because why stop at just one when you’re on a roll?
At Thanksgiving, I realized I hadn’t made a pumpkin pie this year! But, that’s not too surprising. Growing up, we’d make apple pies all throughout the fall. That is my favorite pie. However, for Thanksgiving, it was all about the pumpkin pie. My favorite time to eat it? The next morning at breakfast, when it’s fresh out the fridge.
Now, for Thanksgiving, I celebrate with Fatima’s family. They’re not as enthusiastic about pumpkin pie as I am. Although, Fatima is famous for her sweet potato pie, so she’s definitely not team pumpkin by default. However, my mother-in-law is the only other person in my wife’s family who likes pumpkin pie. But, I’m not about to make a whole pie for just the two of us. However, I did this year and it was delicious.
A homemade pie crust to hug my pumpkin pie.
Not only did I make pumpkin pie, I made an apple pie, too. I know, I know, it was a very fall weekend in the beginning of December. But my goal was to make the pie crusts from scratch! It was my first time making pie dough and it was both scary and fulfilling.
I’m always for making baking easy. Whether you use canned frosting or pre-made pie dough, I’d rather focus more energy into the more important pieces of the dessert.
My mom and dad are venturing into my Nana’s recipe index cards for the holidays. My mom told me there is a recipe for pie dough and sent me a pic of the card. It’s everything you’d imagine your grandmother’s recipe index card would look like: the neatest cursive handwriting.
After looking at the recipe, it looked like it was for a savory pie because the use of boiling water gave it away. After a little research on other pie dough recipes, my grandmother’s recipe had all the basics. I swapped boiling water for ice-cold water and shortening for cold butter. After just a little folding, shaping, and rolling, I had pie crusts!
Fall AF.
But I couldn’t stop there. If I were to have a fall weekend, I was going to go all out. So I planned on making two sets of pie crusts. One for an apple pie and one for the pumpkin. Since the pumpkin pie uses only one pie crust, I decided to cut out leaf shapes from the extra dough to line perimeter of the pie. It was fall AF.
I had a few issues crimping the apple pie, so I covered up my mistake with some leaves. I just love a homey-looking apple pie.
Recipes for the pumpkin pie and pie dough are below.
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Pumpkin Pie with a Homemade Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 9″ Pie
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
This classic pumpkin pie features a homemade buttery pie crust and cozy fall spices, perfect for dessert or even better straight from the fridge the next morning.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon + more for dusting
- 3/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 1/4 cups evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a pie dish with a pie crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they’re whipped.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.
- Decorate your pie crust perimeter as desired.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 60 minutes. At 50 minutes start checking on the pie until the middle stops being so jiggly.
Homemade Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 Crusts
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Dough Making
Description
A buttery, homemade pie crust you can use with any filling.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 4 tbsp (+ 2–4 tbsp more) cold water, keep in the fridge
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir flour, salt and sugar to combine.
- Drop butter cues into the flour mixture and stir to coat the butter.
- Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture. However, work quickly because you want to keep the butter chilled. The mixture should start to be crumbly, like bread crumbs.
- Add 4 tbsp of the ice-cold water to the flour mixture.
- With a rubber spatula, fold and press the dough. Eventually, the dough should start to form. If the dough appears too crumbly, add 1 tbsp of water and continue to press. The dough will be ready when you pinch it and it holds together. If still crumbly, add 1-3 more tbsp of water and continue to press it together.
- Take the dough out of the mixing bowl, form into a ball, and place on your counter.
- Cut the ball into two even halves.
- Press each half into discs, about the size of a small plate. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Once the dough has been chilled and you’re ready to make your pie. If you’re making a single pie dough, you can wait to make your filling. But if you’re making an apple pie, for example, make the filling now.
- Dust your working surface with flour.
- Remove one of the dough discs from the fridge to get to room temperature – about 5-7 minutes.
- Lightly flour your rolling-pin.
- Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle.
- Gently roll your pie crust dough around your rolling-pin. Unroll the dough over your pie dish.
- Lightly press the dough to the surface of your pie dish.
- Depending on your crust design or if needing 2 pie crusts, trim the dough so about a half-inch from the edge of the dish remains. You’ll want to do this to flute or make another design for a single pie crust. However, for our leaf design in the pumpkin pie, trim the edges to the pie dish and add those designs on top. For two pie crusts, do not flute edges yet. Add your filling and roll over your second pie crust. Trim then crimp.
- Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before baking. Refer to pie recipe for oven temperatures.
Notes
The best apple pie recipe.