Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel

Do you want to have an amazing Thanksgiving celebration? You need to make this pie. THIS will make your celebration fabulous. I'm not lying. I made this pie. I had a fabulous celebration. Seriously, this pie has a bit of everything for everyone. It has a buttery, flaky bottom crust which is then topped with a spicy gingersnap crumb crust. After that, a rich, creamy pumpkin filling is poured on top. Finally, a crunchy and sweet pecan streusel finishes the entire pie.

L.O.V.E. I would have to say that this is probably the best pumpkin pie that I have ever had. By the end of the evening, there was only 1/7 or so of the pie remaining. Considering I had also made an entire dinner with several sides and two other desserts, I think that says a lot.

Look at that double crust marriage of awesomeness, seriously.

I'm going to admit something. I cheated a little.

I used a store bought roll-out crust (not the kind that already comes in the aluminum pie dish) . But to my defense, it was from Trader Joes and it was really tasty. There was just so much food to be made and it really cut down on prep time (this pie does take a bit of time, but it is SO worth it!)

The crust is thawed, rolled into a pie dish, and then poked with a fork so that when it bakes, it doesn't puff up. If it does puff after baking, you can poke it with your fork because it is still pretty malleable.

The gingersnap crumb crust is just plain amazing. Gingersnaps, pecans, sugar, and butter...

The pumpkin filling is both creamy and rich. It has a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness, and all of the flavors of Fall.

I will admit that I was a little intimidated by this pie. Especially when I went to pour the pumpkin filling into the crust. It didn't seem like it would fit, but somehow, it did.

Pecan topping takes this pie over the edge. True story people.

Half way through the baking process, the pecan topping is added to the pie. It's popped back into the oven for another 40 minutes to explode with love and flavor. This really does happen in your oven, you just have to make sure to leave it closed the WHOLE time.

The hardest part of making the entire pie? Waiting for it to cool so I could gobble it all up.

You already have your pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving? Forget it. Make this. With love.

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel (very lightly adapted from Chocolate and Carrots)

Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 1 frozen or refrigerated roll-out pie crust (or homemade, if you prefer), thawed**
• 2 cups gingersnaps
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup white sugar*
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch*
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

*I didn't have powdered sugar which was in the original recipe, so I made my own. I thought it was still amazing, so you can probably use either.*

** A prepared deep dish pie crust that comes in an aluminum tin won't work very well for this recipe because it won't hold all of the ingredients. I recommended using the roll out kind if you aren't making your own because you can put it into a bigger dish, and therefore all of your ingredients will fit.**

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Roll thawed pie crust into a 9 inch pie dish (my was regular, not deep dish). Crimp edges with fork or fingers. Poke pie crust with a fork. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, grind gingersnaps and pecans until pulverized (good word, right?) Add sugar and cornstarch and process again until combined. Drizzle in butter and combine.
4. Press gingersnap crust into dough crust about halfway up. There will be quite a bit of the gingersnap crust. Don't fret, everything will fit.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

Pumpkin Filling

Ingredients

• 15 ounces of pumpkin purée (or canned pumpkin)
• 14 ounce can of low fat or fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Method

1. In a stand mixer, beat the eggs until bubbly (check out the photo above)
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust. Cover the crust edges with foil or a crust guard thingie (yes, it's very technical) and bake for 30 minutes (still at 350 degrees F).
4. Remove the pie from the oven and add the pecan streusel (recipe follows). Bake for an additional 40 minutes.
5. Let pie cool for 1 hour. Devour. Refrigerate leftovers, but I doubt you'll have any.

Pecan Streusel

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rough chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle around the outside edges of the top of the pie.