Simple Pie Crust Recipe | Fresh Pumpkin Puree Recipe | Thick Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I hope you had a great Halloween! We had just over 130 trick or treaters - and sadly there weren't too many little ones. All in all though, it was a great night and the decorations have been put away for another year and the pie pumpkins are waiting for me to bake them.

Did you save your pie pumpkins? Other than the amazing pumpkin cake I make, this pumpkin pie is the next must on the fall dessert list. But, before I can share it, I must share the best crust recipe and baked fresh pumpkin puree recipe. No pumpkin dessert is complete without some fresh pumpkin.

Simple Pie Crust Recipe

2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Margarine/Butter
1 Egg Yolk
2/3 Cup Milk

Mix flour & margarine until it is crumbly. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolk and milk and add to flour mix. Stir until the dough peels away from the sides of the bowl. Roll out dough. Makes 2 crusts and it is absolutely delicious. My mother-in-law even asked me for the recipe over her time tested family ones! :o)



Baked Fresh Pumpkin Puree Recipe

All you need is a pie pumpkin. I usually use three larger ones.

First preheat the oven to 350º F. Cut the pumpkin in half and clean out (Yuck!) Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, brush butter on the edges of the pumpkin and then lay them cut side down on the sheet. Cook for an hour or until pumpkin is soft.

When the pumpkin is soft, take it out of the oven and let it cool. Remove the skin (I usually do this while it is still hot and I nearly burn myself every time). Cut into pieces and blend or put through a processor until mixture is smooth. Now you can use it right away or store it in the freezer for later!



Now, one last recipe...

Thick Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 1/4 Cups Pumpkin Puree
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp All-Purpose Flour
2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 Cup Evaporated Milk, Undiluted
2 Tbsp Water
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Unbaked Pie Crust

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and flour in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Next, add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla. Continue to mix well and pour into a pie crust. Put in oven for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350º and bake about 35 minutes or until the center is set. For me it usually takes about an hour and a half and I always make sure to cover my pie edges in tin foil so they don't burn (but they always seem to get pretty crispy anyways). If you know a better technique to bake it quicker, be sure to let me know.

Now while the hubby watches duck dynasty (what is with that show?), I'm going to read some "Quit Your Day Job" posts on Etsy. A little motivation as I ramp up to open the store. Speaking of which, I actually bought some more product supplies today for some new products I have in mind!  Getting excited, I just need the time to get it all set up and shipping costs figured out. Then, I'll be good to go. If anyone has an Etsy Shoppe and wants to offer some advice, please let me know!

Have a great night, tomorrow is finally Friday to what seemed like the longest week of my life!