pumpkin cream cheese pie

I'm about one pumpkin away from exploding, and you wouldn't know it, as I've posted nothing with pumpkin in it. That doesn't mean that pounds of pumpkin haven't traipsed their way through my door.

I had to revisit my favorites, pumpkin bread with pecan streusel and pumpkin whoopie pies. Then I had to make way for pies. I tried the standard. I wanted more. This recipe, found on foodnetwork.com, caught my eye. With its inclusion of a block of cream cheese, it's not quite a cheesecake, nor is it quite a custard.


What can I say, you're looking at my new favorite pumpkin pie. If you want traditional with a twist, then you're at the right place. It's not as heavy as a cheesecake, but it still has tangy creaminess to it. It's a perfect melding of both worlds.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

adapted from FoodNetwork.com

1 refrigerated pie crust

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup half and half

½ stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

whipped cream, for topping

For the crust:

Place the pie dough into a 10-inch pie pan and press down along the bottom and sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl with a beater attachment, beat the cream cheese. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the brown sugar and salt and beat until combined. Add the eggs, half-and-half, melted butter, and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the partially baked pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. (If you have extra filling, you can bake it up in a ramekin for a no-carb type dessert.) Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut the slices and top each with a dollop of whipped cream.