Scratch Made Pumpkin Pie

I love learning new things! On my list of “must-do-someday” has been to bake scratch made pumpkin pie. This week, I accomplished that goal!

Trader Joe’s had Pie Pumpkins on sale, so I bought two.

On the pumpkins were stickers with a pie recipe. Growers have great recipes! This one looked simple enough for my first time.

To start, cut the pumpkin in half without the stem. Scoop out the seeds and strings. That was easy!

Next, place the pumpkin cut side down on foil lined baking sheets. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees till tender – 1 1/2 hours.

They came out of the oven so glossy and pretty!

Allow the pumpkin to cool. Scoop out flesh and mash with a potato masher or food processor until smooth.

I used my potato masher. I wanted to see how easy (or difficult) it was to get the pumpkin smooth. It was actually very easy and I was happy with the results!

The sticker said drain the pumpkin puree if it was too watery. If I had mashed it with the food processor, I think it could have been over-processed and become watery, hence the warning. I was glad I did mine by hand.

Now, it was time to get spicy! Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Each pumpkin will make enough for two pies! Here are all the ingredients for my first pie! Those lovely spices, an egg, sweetened condensed milk and my roasted pumpkin puree.

Beat everything together in a bowl and pour into a 9″ pie shell.

I bought Williams-Sonoma’s Fall Piecrust Cutters so the crust would look festive! What better way to edge a pumpkin pie than with cute little pumpkin cutouts!

Ready for the oven!

Bake at 375 degrees for 55 – 65 minutes. The center will still move slightly.

A bonus to this pie? We get to make pumpkin seeds again! My boys love roasted pumpkin seeds. These went into the oven as soon as the pie was done!

I used the leftover pie crust to make more cut outs.

A bit of egg wash and a sprinkle of sanding sugar = delicious pie crust cookies!

Put everything together and this is the final result! I love this pie. The cloves and nutmeg are standout flavors. I would have liked more of a “pumpkin” taste but that could easily be accomplished with adding more pumpkin puree and a bit less water. Overall, it’s delicious! What a great new learning experience!

This is the full recipe and directions for Pumpkin Pie from scratch. If you’ve never done a pumpkin pie this way, give it a try. It’s not nearly as intimidating as I thought. I will be doing this again very soon. After all, I still have one more pumpkin!

Cut pumpkin in half without the stem.
Scoop out seeds and strings.
Place the pumpkin cut down on foil lined baking sheets.
Cover the pumpkin with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.
Cool.
Scoop out the flesh and mash with a potato masher or food processor until smooth.
Drain if too watery.
Beat together just until smooth:

1-1/3 cup smooth pumpkin puree (about half the pumpkin mix)
1-1/3 cup sweet condensed milk (a 14 oz can is perfect!)
1 egg
1-1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground Ginger
1/4 tsp ground Cloves
1 cup hot water

Pour into a 9″ pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 55 -65 minutes (check after 45 mins) The center will still move slightly when it’s done. Cool and enjoy!