Perfect Pumpkin Pie! (perfectly serendipitous and delicious!)

Bursting with homemade flavor, this remarkably simple pumpkin pie recipe is now my very favorite!  Deliciously rich and flavorful, it tastes incredible with the accompanying homemade pie crust and served with real whipped cream!

I haven't made a pumpkin pie from scratch in nearly ten years, so this recipe saved me!  It turned out fantastic and received a big thumbs up from my whole family!  

Credit goes in large part to Sally's Baking Addiction website for many great ideas! Sally has apparently baked pies for many years, and calls this her favorite pumpkin pie recipe.  I enjoyed her approach, and found it straight forward to make.  Although I am a seasoned cook myself, it always helps to stand on the shoulders of those who have perfected their craft on whatever you are trying to bake! :-) 

Pie Crust

Let’s start with the pie crust.  As Sally said, "every pumpkin pie has to start with a stellar pie crust!" I absolutely agree... few people like a dry, flavorless crust!  This pie crust recipe uses a mix of shortening and butter so you get the most buttery tasting, tender, flaky (so flaky) pie crust!  And it really is easy to make!

This crust is made with a few simple ingredients: flour, salt, cold water, and fat.  There are strong opinions out there for butter crust vs. shortening crust vs. lard crust. Lard isn't easy to come by for most people– though it does makes a tasty crust!  If you want a crust recipe that stands the test of time, use a combination of shortening and butter.  Not all fats are created equal, though! 

• Why shortening? Its high melting point aids in creating flakiness. Flaky, tender, melt-in-your mouth crust. 
• Why butter? Butter gives "unparalleled, impeccable flavor." Nothing beats butter. 
• Use both to create a crust that is full of tender flakes and rich in buttery flavor.

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 1¼ cups white flour (spoon & leveled)
• ½ tsp salt (standard table salt)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 6 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/3 cup ice water

Use Cold Fat in Pie Crust

Why does temperature matter? Keeping your pie dough as cold as possible helps prevent the fat from melting. If the butter melts inside the dough before baking, you lose the flakiness. When the lumps of fat melt in the oven as the pie bakes, their steam helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers– as explained above. Warm fats will lend a hard, crunchy, greasy crust instead of a nice tender flaky crust.

I followed Sally's recommendation of putting the shortening in the refrigerator as well.  We store ours in the pantry, so I simply measured the amount I needed and placed it in the refrigerator until I needed it.  I also followed her recommendation to "cube" the butter measurement, and placed that in the fridge too!

You want it part frozen and very, very cold!

Pie Crust Directions 

1.)  Start with flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold fats. 

• Use a pastry cutter (which I do not have - a potato masher worked fine!) or two forks to cut in the fats.
• Cut in the fats until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
• You should have some larger pieces of butter and shortening when you’re done.

2.)  Ice water! Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup. Add ice and stir! 

• From that, measure 1/2 cup of water (with some ice). 
• Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time
• Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon added. 
• Do not add any more water than you need to. 
• Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. 
• I used a little over a 1/3 cup of water.

If too much water is added, the pie dough will require more flour and thus become tough. If too little water is added, you’ll notice the dough is dry and crumbly when you try to roll it out and handle it.

3.)  After the ice water is added, it must be formed and chilled:

• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.  Flour your hands.
• Fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully mixed into fats.
• Form it into a ball. The dough should come together easily and not be overly sticky.
• Flatten into a 1-inch thick disc using your hands. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. Or freeze!

NOTE:  Having visible specks and swirls in your pie dough is GOOD!  They are the fats from the butter and the shortening which will help ensure a flaky pie dough!

Rolling Out Pie Crust

After your dough ball has chilled, start preparing your pie. Roll out the crust. Always use gentle force. When rolling dough out, always start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go.

Roll the dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. I rolled the dough into a 12-inch circle.

Pumpkin Filling

• Eggs: set the pumpkin pie filling and give it the rich, luxurious texture.
• Heavy Cream: makes pumpkin pie luxurious and silky smooth. It’s thick, creamy, and absolutely heavenly in this pumpkin pie recipe. By using a ratio of cream with milk, the balance is perfect, and also lets you use the rest of the heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream.
• Cornstarch:  A starch thickener is one of the most important ingredients in a pie filling.  Makes it a little sturdier and firm.

Ingredients

• 15oz can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk 
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. Prepare the pie crust according to the steps listed above.
2. For the pumpkin pie filling: whisk the pumpkin, eggs, and brown sugar together until combined.
3. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, cream, and milk.
4. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6. Roll out the chilled pie crust: 
• Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. 
• Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. 
7. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. 
1. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. 
2. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of crust and discard. 
• Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers, if desired. 
8. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture. 
9. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. 
• If using parchment paper, carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights.
10. Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm pre-baked crust. 
• Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. 
• (Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like.) 
11. Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. 
• A small part of the center will be wobbly – that’s ok. 
• After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. 
12. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
13. Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 3 hours.
14. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired. 

Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

A slice of the finished pie!

Additional Hints

Spices: Instead of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Pie Crust: No matter if you’re using homemade crust or store-bought crust, pre-bake the crust. (Step 5.) You can use graham cracker crust if you’d like, but the slices may get a little messy. Pre-bake for 10 minutes just as you do with regular pie crust in this recipe. No need to use pie weights if using a cookie crust.

To prevent browning of the crust (although I did not do this, and it turned out fine):

• Line the pie crust with parchment paper. 
• Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust.
• Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. 

Avoiding Cracks in a Pie

A great pumpkin pie requires precisely the right amount of baking time (about 55-60 minutes).  Remove it when the center of the pumpkin pie is still slightly wobbly. It will set as it cools. Careful not to overcook; overcooking it will cause the filling to crack.

Fresh or Canned Pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie?

I have heard that canned pumpkin puree works best in pies, so if you are unsure, save yourself lots of time and trouble from scooping out your own pumpkin pulp!

Not only does the "pumpkin from a can" tend to hold its shape better, the texture tends to be smoother and the flavor from the can tends to be better too!  I've tried real pumpkin pulp myself, and many people agree that it tastes grainy and more bitter.  Sally said that she "prefers using fresh pumpkin puree in savory recipes, not desserts."

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: 

• Pumpkin pie freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. 
• Pie crust dough freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• You’ll also begin the pie crust the night before as well (the dough needs at least 2 hours to chill; overnight is best). 
• The filling can be made the night before as well. It may even be preferable it that way. Sitting overnight gives the spices, pumpkin, and brown sugar flavors a chance to infuse and blend. It’s awesome. Cover and refrigerate overnight. No need to bring to room temperature before baking.

Michael's Simple Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Preperation Time : 20 minutes
Churn Time : 40 - 60 minutes (depending on ice cream maker)
Yield : about 1 quart

This recipe starts with a story... making homemade ice cream really began for me back when I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the Great Ohio!  It was there that I had my first opportunity to experiment with homemade Ice Cream.  :-)

Growing up, I do not recall ever having had homemade Ice Cream.  My father did experiment with a couple of tasty recipes sort of like ice cream, but we did not own an ice cream maker.  Actually, the icy cold recipe that my Dad was famous for was homemade pressurized Root Beer made from Hires Extract and dry ice!

For many years (during our time living in Orem and Provo), my Father owned this large, heavy, steel pressure cooker that was perfect for making root beer!  At least, that's all I ever remember it having been used for.  It had clamps on the sides to secure the lid, and a pressure gauge that rather got my imagination going because I remember the "red danger" zone.  One of my early real-world physics lessons occurred the first time my father demonstrated the art of carbonating root beer in the kitchen!

I watched with fascination as my Dad added the necessary water, sugar, and extract.  Then, after dropping in the block of dry ice, he quickly clamped the lid down!  The pressure built rapidly, so if he wasn't quick enough, the mounting pressure would "pop the lid" and he would have to clamp it down again.  A small steel stem rose from the surface of the lid, and allowed the carbon dioxide gas to escape.  This kept the pressure cooker from exploding.   To keep the pressure just right, you placed a little steel weight on the escape nozzle.  Once placed, the hissing immediately ceased, and the pressure would build!  Presently it reached a point at which the pressure actually lifted the steel weight, which would then start "dancing" on the nozzle, making little hissing sounds.  This equalized pressure prevented a balance of carbon dioxide (released from the melting dry ice) from escaping, effectively infusing it within the root beer brew.  :-)

As a young boy of nine or ten, I remember sneaking into the kitchen whilst the root beer was pressurizing.  I was fascinated with the little weight as it hissed and danced, and presently I realized that if I pushed it down, my own strength stopped the carbon dioxide gas from escaping!  What joy!  What fun!  I closely watched the pressure gauge as it steadily climbed.  Growing concerned, I released it after a few moments, and the weight would dance frantically for several seconds, and then slow back down.  Fascinating!  Fortunately I wasn't foolish enough to hold it down too long.

Although I do have a memory which is likely a dream.  In it, I was helping prepare for my Dad's birthday party while a batch of my Dad's famous root beer was being prepared.  Nobody was monitoring the pressure cooker, and the weight somehow became jammed.  The pressure built and built unchecked.  Then we heard a loud BANG!  The house seemed to shake just a bit, and it sounded as though a train had derailed.  Running into the kitchen we saw the pressure cooker with dry ice mist billowing up while root beer rained gently from the ceiling.  Looking up, we saw the steel lid of the cooker stuck in the ceiling!  The pressure from the explosion had sent the lid sailing right up into the ceiling, embedding it firmly in the underlying sheet-rock!  After that, the pressure cooker always sort of scared me.

But that's not the story I was going to tell... 😏  The actual story occurred much later, when I was 20 years old.  While I was serving my mission, my missionary companion and I found an old wooden ice cream maker in the closet, left from a previous missionary.  Unfortunately it had a leak in the barrel, and it was a "manual crank" ice cream maker.  We prepared the recipe that came with the box, and then we poured ice along the sides of the canister, but we didn't know it required salt to lower the melting point of the ice.  We used sweetened condensed milk in the recipe, so it was extremely rich.  It sure looked like it would make delicious ice cream!  We sealed the canister and excitedly took turns churning it!

Well, we were novices at the art of ice cream making, and after nearly an hour of taking turns cranking it, we eagerly opened the aluminum container to see what we had produced!  we couldn't figure out why the ice cream mixture hadn't risen!  On the contrary, it had actually sank!  Well, it was fairly cold, and it did look sort of like ice cream... but it was DENSE!  Very, very dense!  Years later I realized that because of the difficulties we encountered, and the lack of rock salt having been added, the ice cream maker never froze it properly.  The temperature never got cold enough.  The ingredients also settled and became more compact, rather than filling with the necessary tiny air bubbles and expanding as it should have.  That's the secret to making it creamy!  Instead we ended up with a dense, circular slab of frozen cream, probably 200 calories per tablespoon!  Instead of making 1½ quarts of creamy ice cream, it made 2 cups of collapsed, super rich calories.

So, after that I gave up on homemade ice cream... for about two decades.

Then, fairly early on in my marriage, when my oldest daughter had just entered Elementary School, I chanced upon an electric ice cream maker at a local thrift store!  I purchased it excitedly, brought it home, and sadly discovered that the motor was weak, and it promptly burned out on my first attempt to make ice cream.  So, I donated it to our local landfill.  Discouraged, I decided ice cream was much easier to buy!

Then a few years ago, I decided to try my luck once more and purchased an electric RIVAL ice cream maker from a garage sale down the street.

It had a cute invisible penguin on the side of the basin that appeared and darkened when the temperature dropped and became cold enough.  Hoping that the proverbial "third time" was the charm, I tested it for the first time last summer.  And it worked!!!  It made delicious ice cream.  But it took some effort and research to understand what worked, and what didn't.  I had read through a dozen recipes, discounting the more complex recipes as unnecessary for my needs.  In fact, I disregarded any recipe that required boiling the milk and cream first (i.e. scalding the milk), as heating it too long or high would ruin it!   And even if you cooked it just right, you would still need to wait additional time for it to chill.  Often a couple of hours or even overnight.  While this technique does make it creamier, I have found that chilling it alone--and bypassing the additional steps--makes it plenty creamy.  The physical churning process of an electric ice cream maker does just great.  Perhaps I am missing out on true old-fashioned ice cream this way, but the time I save by skipping and chilling the cream makes it well worth it.  I still chill the canister.  In the end, my "express" approach is very yummy!

And now... for the rest of the story!  Or in this case, the actual recipe!

First, let me say how delicious homemade ice cream is!  Keep in mind, though, that the cost of ingredients (including bagged ice and rock salt) is more expensive then just purchasing a half gallon from your local grocery store.  But what a fun family activity making ice cream from scratch can be!

Someone once said, "Ice cream is usually considered to be junk food."  And certainly the mass-produced stuff sold by the cardboard or plastic carton definitely falls into the category of something we shouldn’t eat very often.  It is yummy enough, and I have bought many dozens of cartons through the years.  Unfortunately, many store-bought ice creams contain all sorts of fillers and chemicals– and often low-quality, skim milk.  So, the biggest advantage of making homemade ice cream is the quality ingredients you have the option of using.  I suppose it almost turns into a "healthy food." Almost!  ;-)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream 
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 – 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean (optional- see note below)
• Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla beans (if using) in a blender.

Recipe Adjustments:

• Half'n'Half works great too!
• For greater nutrition, try skipping the cream and using 4 cups whole milk instead!  It worked just fine.
• The vanilla beans are optional- however they do add a nice bit of extra flavor, as well as the classic “bean specks.”

Ice Cream Preparation:

• Wash and dry all parts and equipment that will come into contact with the ice cream.
• Except the motor drive assembly, of course... don't wash that!
• Place the metal canister in the freezer to get it chilling.
• Combine the milk and cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
• If using a real vanilla bean, thoroughly blend until the bean is chopped into teeny tiny pieces!
• Blend until everything is combined.
• Pour chilled ice cream mixture into cooled canister.  
• Important!!! Fill Ice Cream canister only 3/4 full!  Mixture will expand during freezing.
• Place canister in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Ice Cream Machine Instructions:

1. These directions are fairly standard, so give 'em a whirl, but please use your device instructions if you have them!  If not, do a search for your ice cream maker model on the World Wide Web.
2. Insert DASHER (aka plastic beater) into canister, centering it in the bottom indentation.
3. Place cover on Canister.
4. Gently set canister into Ice Cream Bucket.  Ensure that canister is centered and that it engages with the bottom of the bucket.
5. Place Motor Drive over ice cream canister so that the stem of the dasher engages the shaft of the motor drive (top).
6. Rotate canister slightly until the motor drive engages the cover of the ice cream canister.
7. Fit the four tabs (bottom of motor drive) into the matching set of holes found on the top edges of the bucket.  Rotate the motor drive counter clockwise to secure to bucket.
8. Plug the power cord into a convenient outlet; make sure the cord is placed so that it is protected from the feet of wandering children or distracted adults.
9. Once plugged in, the motor will immediately engage.  At this point, the bucket should be empty except for the ice cream canister and mixture.
10. While the ice cream maker is running, distribute 2 inches of ice around the bottom of the bucket.
11. Sprinkle approximately ¼ cup of salt. uniformly over the first layer of ice.
12. Note that the dasher within the dasher does not move.  The ice cream canister rotates around it.
13. Continue to add layers of ice, with salt between layers, until ice level reaches the top of the rotating canister.
14. Churning should complete between 30 - 40 minutes, or until the motor stops (when thick).
15. Adding Mix-in's.  Five minutes before completion is a great time to add any mix-in's.
16. Unplug the motor and detach and remove the motor drive assembly.
17. Clear the ice and salt away from the top of the ice cream canister.
18. Wipe carefully to remove any accumulated salt and water before removing the cover.
19. Lift out dasher and scrape clean with a rubber spatula, or simply hand it to an eager child!
20. Pack ice cream down into ice cream canister since the dasher will have left air pockets.
21. Serve and enjoy!  Best and creamiest when fresh from canister, though it freezes well.

Adding Mix-in's :

There are two good ways to add your favorite mix-ins to an ice cream base! The first is to add them while the ice cream is still churning. Add your ice cream mix-ins just before your ice cream is finished. They only need to mix for a few minutes.  Five minutes should be plenty.

Alternatively, once your ice cream is complete, use a large spatula to gently fold the ingredients into your ice cream. This is a great way to handle more delicate ingredients like fresh berries. It also means you can make one batch of ice cream and turn it into several flavors. This is perfect for families with different tastes. Everyone can have their own special bowl of ice cream.  :-)

Mix-in Ideas :

• Chocolate Chips - classic flavour and one of the easiest options.
• Mini M'n'M's.  This is my children's favorite thing to add!
• Cookies & Candy - Break up cookies and candy bars into small pieces and they are perfect additions to many ice cream flavors!
• Cookies & Cream - most recognizable is small chunks of Oreo sandwich cookies.
• Fresh Fruit - Stick with fruits that have a great texture when frozen. Strawberries, cherries, and blueberries are great choices. Just give 'em a rough chop and toss them into your ice cream. Try tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, although you will want to dice these fruits into even smaller pieces.
• Nuts - Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and cashews all make great additions to ice cream. Think about how they are used in traditional flavors like Rocky Road. 

Important Points:

• Should the ice cream maker stop before the churning is complete, check to see if large ice cubes are jammed against the rotating ice cream canister.
• Since this recipe is completely uncooked, it is a good time to use raw milk and cream, if you have them. If not, then try to choose the best quality milk you have available.
• In case you missed it above, fill Ice Cream canister only 3/4 full!  Mixture will expand significantly during the freezing process.
• Some people swear that homemade ice cream is a great use of goats milk!  I haven't tried that.

Well, feel free to explore and enjoy the art of making ice cream in your own home!  Don't get too uptight and perfectionistic, the way I did when first giving it a try again last year.  I had been emotionally scarred from past failures, and was worried that I would make a mistake.  I needn't have worried.  As long as you follow the directions for freezing it properly in the ice cream maker (with ice & rock salt), the recipes are very forgiving.  Experiment, and stumble upon the next great ice cream flavour!

Ummm... do I win the prize for the longest recipe description?  ;-)
It was a journey... so hop on and enjoy!