Bakery Style Pumpkin Pie Recipe

THE Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe For Your Holiday Table

Joanne Adirim

Founder & Executive Pastry Chef

NOV 15, 2022

For 25 years, Joanne has served as the Founder and Executive Pastry Chef at Hannahmax Baking. Known for her best in class reputation, Joanne and her baking company have crafted gourmet desserts for fine dining establishments, coffee cafes, hotels, & grocery companies across North America. In 2022, she launched the Cookie Chips® Baking Mix, a cookie mix that's shaking up home baking with its bakery quality results. In From The Pastry Kitchen, she shares her industry earned expertise with the home baking community.

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What would Thanksgiving be without a delicious, homemade pumpkin pie?

For many families, baking pies is an annual tradition that brings everyone together in the kitchen. While there are a lot of different pies to choose from (you should definitely add my pecan pie bars to your list of holiday desserts), a delicious pumpkin pie is expected at the end of a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. You don’t want to disappoint.

What’s great about pumpkin pie is it’s one of the easiest pies you can make. The filling only requires a handful of ingredients, including purchased pumpkin puree, that are all blended together. In a mixer or by hand. That’s why I personally love making this pie. Of course, you can opt for the extra step of roasting fresh sugar pumpkins instead of opening a can of Libby's Pumpkin Puree.

If you choose to go the roasting route it will give you an ultra rich flavor to your pie. You may be wondering where you can purchase sugar pumpkins. Numerous varieties of sugar pumpkins can be found at farmers' markets and supermarket produce departments during the autumn and winter months. Look for ones that are free from dents and soft spots and are relatively heavy for their size.

This almost pumpkin pie from scratch is made with my pastry chef crafted cookie mix, and the filling is made with my secret pumpkin spice recipe which you'll find as you continue reading. See this post on Instagram.

How to Cook a Sugar Pumpkin.

Cooking a sugar pumpkin is as easy as roasting any squash in your oven. Once you have your sugar pumpkin, just halve, scoop out the seeds, and bake. Put the seeds aside and save them for roasting. After halving your sugar pumpkin and removing the seeds, brush the flesh of the pumpkin with oil to lock in moisture and help the edges caramelize. Coconut oil is a great option for this. If you don’t have this readily available, any oil will do.

Then sprinkle with a little salt, place flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and pierce the skin a few times with a fork or knife.

For a 2-3 pound sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin), bake it at 350F for 45-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the skin is tender when pierced with a fork.

Let the pumpkin cool slightly before handling. Once your pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and add it to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy and smooth, adding a little water (ONLY if needed).

What is in pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend that’s usually made up of 4–5 different ground spices. Including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves & all spice. There are several brands, but they aren’t all created equal. If you choose a brand that is missing one of these spices, just back off the amount of the premade spice and add in a little of the missing spice.

There's a secret ingredient I use in my pumpkin pie recipe to kick up the spice level. Black pepper. Yup, you read this right. Only a pinch is needed and no one will know it’s there. They will only know you made the best pumpkin pie they’ve ever tasted. You don’t have to add it, but it’s a definite option that will surprise you.

A sugar pumpkin pie filling is the perfect complement to the cinnamon sugar pecan pie crust. It's sweet, crunchy, and absolutely delicious.

Pumpkin Pie Crust

Last, but not least is your crust. While I love a great pie crust, and there is no shortage of perfect pie crust recipes, I decided that the best pie crust this year for my pie would be a cookie crust. Not just any cookie crust, but a cinnamon sugar cookie crust.

The creamy sweet and spiced filling against the buttery & crunchy texture of the cookie crust with warm cinnamon notes will delight your Thanksgiving guests. It’s also easier to make a cookie crust than your traditional flaky pie crust. Check out this simple & easy pumpkin pie recipe and give it a try.

The Bakery Style Pumpkin Pie Recipe

ingredients for pumpkin pie from scratch

This easy pie recipe calls for a pumpkin puree filling. Don't know how to make pumpkin puree? My favorite puree.

best pumpkin pie recipe for the holidays

Pecans & a pastry chef crafted, cinnamon sugar cookie mix are the easy choice for my pie crust.

I've used this bakery style recipe for every Thanksgiving since I first created it, making it the family favorite. This is the best homemade pumpkin pie you'll try.

Ingredients

Cookie Crumb Pie Crust

• Cookie Chips® - Cinnamon Sugar, 1 bag, baked according to bag instructions.

• Whole pecans, lightly toasted - 1 cup or 4 ½ oz.

• Butter, melted - 3 tbsp or 1 ½ oz.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• Pumpkin puree - 2 cups.

• Brown sugar - ½ cup.

• Large eggs - 2 eggs.

• Large egg yolk - 1 egg yolk.

• Sweetened condensed milk - ⅔ cup.

• Heavy whipping cream - ⅓ cup.

• Ginger - ½ tsp.

• Cinnamon - 1 tsp.

• Nutmeg - ½ tsp.

• Cloves - ¼ tsp.

• Vanilla extract - 2 tsp.

• Salt - ¼ tsp.

Pinch of black pepper - optional

To Make

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (or 300 F for convection).

2. In a food processor, grind baked cookies and toasted pecans. Pour into a bowl.

3. Add melted butter and blend well.

4. Line a pie pan (see * below) with cookie crust pressing into the sides and bottom tightly.

5. Bake for 10 minutes and cool while preparing the filling.

6. In a large bowl, add brown sugar and spices/salt blending together well. Make sure there are no lumps.

7. Add pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, cream, and vanilla. Blend together well.

8. Pour filling into the pie pan up to the top of the crust.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. Filling will be slightly puffed.

10. Cool and refrigerate.

11. Decorate with freshly whipped cream and cinnamon or leave plain.

*Makes 2 - 7” pies or 1 - 10” pie (if you make a 9” pie you will have leftover filling for another dessert eg. You can make individual pies in a cupcake tin following the same instructions above. Spray individual cupcake sections with pan spray before adding the crust.

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