Love and Olive Oil

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I bet you’ve never seen a pumpkin pie as pretty as this one.

I also bet you’ve never been threatened by your own husband and sister, warned that if your pumpkin pie wasn’t perfect, you’d have to go out and buy them not one, but TWO grocery store pumpkin pies. On Black Friday, no less (and anyone who knows us knows we do NOT go out on Black Friday).

Meanies.

Needless to say, I did not want to go out on Black Friday. The pressure was on. After last year’s incident, I wasn’t about to try anything weird. I learned the hard way that you do not mess with pumpkin pie. So when I saw a recipe for an Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie, I knew that was the one. The Bourbon whipped cream didn’t hurt, either (Taylor and Robin are suckers for whiskey). I hoped that if my pie was sub-par the whipped cream would be a good cover up.

But before I could even consider the pie, I had to go head to head with my arch nemesis: pie crust.

Me and pie crust got off to a bad start. And I apologize now for any harsh words directed at it in the process. Good news is we’ve kissed and made up, and I’ve finally found the One Pie Dough to Rule Them All. I am a believer. I am in love. I will never look at another pie crust again.

Thanks cousin Brookie for the tip, I bow to you, pie master!

Folks: this pie crust is amazing. It is the pie crust of my dreams. My flaky and fabulous soul mate.

Just one thing to remember: 4 ounces of butter is NOT the same as 4 tablespoons of butter. Quite different, in fact.

So I messed up. Again.

So I ended up making two crusts. Again.

So I had to wake up early on Thanksgiving morning to re-make my failed crust. Again.

But the second one was perfect. Undeniably, unequivocally, unmistakably perfect. Everything that you were ever taught about pie crusts thrown out the window. This crust is a dream to work with. Soft. Not crumbly. Easy. And no, it’s not too good to be true, it IS true.

This pie crust wasn’t just passable, it was actually pretty. Me. I made a pretty pie crust. I didn’t think it was possible, but the proof is in the pudding, er, pie filling.

Not only was the crust pretty, but the filling was fabulous. Light and spicy. So maybe I took one risk, by using fresh pumpkin instead of canned, but it really paid off. The filling was not nearly as dense and heavy as the canned counterpart. Just be sure you choose the right variety of pumpkin. I’ve heard Fairy Tale pumpkins are good. No idea what the variety we used was actually called (it came from our CSA) but it was small with slight variegated muted orange skin, and deep orange flesh. Beautiful inside and out. And it made for the perfect pie.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream

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Ingredients:

  • 1 medium pie pumpkin (such as a Fairy Tale or Sugar Pie – about 4-5 lbs will yield 2 cups), or 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon (I left this out)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
  • 1/2 batch of The One Pie Dough to Rule Them All*
  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon (we like Bulleit)

Directions:

  1. To make pumpkin puree: start with a small-medium pie or sugar pumpkin (not a jack-o-lantern!), cut out the stem and scrape out the insides, discard (save the seeds, of course). Cut the pumpkin in half and lay cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with silpat or aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F until fork tender, about an hour to an hour and a half. Remove from oven, let cool, scoop out the pulp. Run the pulp through a food mill or food processor until smooth. Place in a fine mesh sieve or strainer lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl for at least an hour to drain. Use within 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If you do not want
  2. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  3. Mix sugars, salt, and spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in cream. Whisk all together until well incorporated.
  4. Pour into pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  5. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or let sit overnight in the refrigerator to serve the next day (bring to room temperature prior to serving).
  6. To make whipped cream, beat heavy cream with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar until stiff peaks form. Lightly fold in the bourbon. Taste after one tablespoon and add more bourbon as desired. Dollop generously on top of pie and serve.

Pro Tip: brush your raw pie shell with an egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of milk or water) before adding filling. This will help keep your crust from getting soggy and negate the need to blind bake it at all.

Pie recipe from Simply Recipes via Bunkycooks.

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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23 Comments

  1. Do you have this pie crust recipe jotted down anywhere? I have used it for year at your suggestion way back when, but now the original website is down and I never printed or saved it. Do you have this recipe on hand? I would be forever grateful as it was the easiest pie crust to maneuver.

    Thanks!

  2. Your recipe is quite easy to follow, however you say to stir in “cream” with the pumpkin puree. I’m currently following this recipe and, since I assumed you had written it all out correctly, stirred in a cup of heavy cream. Not until after did I remember you had evaporated milk as an ingredient–so do you mean cream or evaporated milk? Also, listing the ingredients in the order you actually add them (standard for most recipes), makes things much less confusing.

    I’ve already used up my pumpkin puree, so I suppose I’ll have to see what a cup of heavy cream in the filling does…

  3. Looks good, I’ll try it!
    Do you butter the pan before you put the pie crust in?

  4. I just saw this link on my new site! I didn’t know you made this pie. Thanks for the mention. :) The pie crust was beautiful and it seems that you may now be addicted to fresh pumpkin in your pie…it is very different and we can’t go back to the canned stuff now!!

  5. That is one gorgeous pie crust (and pie, for that matter.) I’m going to try that recipe- Pie crust is my nemesis.

  6. Even if you did have to do it twice, that is one beautiful crust and one adorable pumpkin pie. This recipe sounds like a timeless classic, a true winner. Thanks for sharing!

  7. You are a Landis so pie is in your blood! Of course so is misreading directions and forgetting to add ingredients!

  8. The hearts on top are just too cute!

  9. ohh, this looks amazing..and bourbon whipped cream? yummm!

  10. BEAUTIFUL!!! I shall try that pie crust next! Mine was ugly. :(

  11. WOW Girl that is PERFECT.

    -you couldnt get any more perfect than that- especially since it has alcohol in it HAHA
    I just bought my friend for Christmas the book “Booze Cakes” I am so excited to get it so that I can bake something before I give it to her :)

    Come visit me sometime- I am obsessed with your website!!!

    http://www.lovenbubbles.com

    <3 SUMMER

  12. This looks awesome! My sister made a pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon shipped cream and it was to die for… and I don’t even like whipped cream (weird, I know)! Your pie is SO pretty :)

  13. You’ve completely wowed me again. The pie is so perfect! It’s as smooth as a skating rink.

  14. Thanks be to you for doing all the hard work of finding the perfect pie crust YIPPEE, and then pairing it with what sounds like a fabulous pie and like you say the bourbon whipped cream don’t hurt.
    Oh yes, your pie is the prettiest. ;-)
    :-) Mandy

  15. I love pumpkin pie, and I’m always looking for the ultimate recipe. Yours looks awesome! And your crust is fabulous.

  16. Hahah!! We always make bourbon whipped cream to go with our pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving… only our recipe calls for 4 Tbsp. of bourbon!! Yikes… it is kind of potent, but we love it :)

  17. That truly is the loveliest pie crust ever. Perfect!

  18. That is the prettiest pumpkin pie I’ve ever seen! Thanks for the pie crust tip. I have one that I’m using, but I’m still looking at other crusts :)

  19. I’m a TOTAL sucker for pumpkin pie and I want to skip work to make this right NOW. this looks glorious! fantastic job!

  20. I think it’s safe to say that, despite all your trials, this time everything ended up better than you could have imagined! Your pie (and crust) looks amazing. Great job!

  21. What a gorgeous pie!! We’re impressed…it looks perfect! And sounds just delicious…and that bourbon whipped cream is calling our name!

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