| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch pie or 5 5-inch mini-pies |
Ingredients
- 6 ounces gingersnap cookies
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ounce unsalted butter, melted
- 16 ounces Pumpkin Puree, recipe follows
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 5 teaspoons light brown sugar, divided
- 1 (4 to 6-pound) baking pumpkin, rinsed and dried
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the crust: Combine the gingersnaps, brown sugar, and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cookies are fine crumbs. Drizzle the butter into the crumb mixture. Pulse 8 to 10 times to combine.
- Press the gingersnap mixture into the bottom, up the sides, and just over the lip of a 9-inch glass pie dish. Place on a half sheet pan and bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool crust at least 10 minutes before filling.
- For the filling: Bring the pumpkin puree to a simmer over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the half-and-half, nutmeg, and salt. Stir and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pumpkin mixture from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and yolk until smooth in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the prepared filling into the warm pie crust and bake on the same half sheet pan until the center jiggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing. Pie can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Pie is best the day after it is made.
- For mini-pies: Evenly divide the crust mixture between 5 (5-inch) pie tins and bake on a half sheet pan for 5 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before evenly dividing the filling between the pans. Bake until the center juggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours. Spread 1 teaspoon of light brown sugar on the top of each pie. Melt the sugar using a torch to form a crispy top. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice a small piece of skin off the one side of the pumpkin so when laid on its side, the pumpkin will lay flat without rolling. Remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, using a large cleaver and a mallet. Scoop out the seeds and fiber with a large metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Cut the fibers with kitchen shears if necessary. Reserve seeds for another use.
- Sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan. Roast until a paring knife can be easily inserted and removed from the pumpkin, 30 to 45 minutes. Test in several places to ensure doneness.
- Remove the half sheet pan to a cooling rack and cool the pumpkin for 1 hour. Using a large spoon, remove the roasted flesh of the pumpkin from the skin to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the flesh is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reviews
This recipe has become our go-to recipe for the holidays for years. I never use canned pumpkin anymore and the crust is fantastic! My son specifically asks for this pie every year. I do add a little cinnamon and clove but not too much, as I love the pumpkin flavor. For the crust, I highly recommend using Trader Joe’s triple ginger cookies. They make a far more flavorful crust than standard gingersnaps.
These pies are pumpkins out on Halloween.
The filling in this has an amazing texture & Alton is right- the texture is even better the next day. I decided to make a pumpkin pie last minute. I’ve been so tired of traditional pumpkin pie lately & decided to look for a new recipe. I didn’t have ginger snaps on hand so I used shortbread cookies & seasoned them myself to have similar flavors to gingersnaps. I thought it was delicious, but I look forward to trying it with gingersnaps next time. The filling was a little light on spices for some that tried it (but I was pleased to have a break from cinnamon- pumpkin duo) so I sprinkled a cinnamon/sugar/nutmeg mixture over the top for others & it did the trick.
not worth the hassle
Love this pie – the ginger snaps create the perfect compliment to the pie filling. Delicious warm spices perfect for fall!
Simply delicious. My new favorite pie!
Alton! The gingersnap crust tastes great but sticks to the glass pie pan! A big mess and impossible to serve nicely. What did i do wrong?
I LOVE this recipe and have been using it for a few years. I didn’t like the crust though so I just make (or buy) a regular pie crust. I really love making pumpkin pie from scratch and this is the best recipe I have found (minus the crust).
Fantastic!
Filling is very good. Crust not so much.