Dessert

Pumpkin & Caramel Pie

This stunning Pumpkin Caramel Pie is topped with a luscious layer of caramel-truly a match made in heaven! Sure to impress at a holiday gathering based on flavor alone, with a little extra effort, the leaf crust topping can make for a show-stopping presentation and take this recipe into a whole other dimension! *If you would like your leaf wreath crust to be very full, like the one pictured, you may want to make 1½ times the crust to have enough to make plenty of leaves. Additionally, leaves should be cut out and baked on a separate baking sheet.

January 04, 2024

By Kayley McCabe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour
3 tablespoons fine Cane Sugar
¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ cup Shortening
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) Butter, cold and cut into small cubes
¼ cup + Ice Water

For the pie filling:

⅔ cup Raw Cane Sugar
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
2 cups Pumpkin Puree (canned or fresh)
¾ cup Whole Milk
3 large Eggs
½ cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
⅔ cup Caramel Sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Directions

For the Crust:

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an ‘s’ blade. Close the lid and pulse the mixture a few times until blended together.
Add the shortening to the food processor and pulse once. Add the cubes of butter, one at a time, pulsing a few times after the addition of each cube.
With the processor running, drizzle in the ice water until the mixture starts to form into large clumps. Do not add too much water. Dough should not be sticky or wet, but should come together to form a nice dough.
Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Roll the other half of the dough into a ball and place in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to a circle that is 1½-2 inches larger in circumference than your pie dish. Place the sheet of dough over the top of your pie dish and remove parchment paper. Press the dough in to fit the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the dough to within a ½ inch of the pie dish rim. Make filling.

For the Filling:

Whisk the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a large saucepan. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and shiny. Remove from heat.
Whisk in the milk, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust.
Bake pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes, or when the center jiggles only slightly when shaken.
Let cool.
Roll out the other half of the dough that was refrigerated between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of ⅛". Cut leaf shapes out of the dough (I used a toothpick to press vein-resembling lines into each leaf) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each leaf with a little bit of beaten egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the leaves are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Pour caramel sauce over the top of the cooled pie and pile crust leaves around the edge of the pie.
Serve chilled and sliced, topped with whipped cream, if desired.