Description
Grandma’s classic cranberry apple pie brings festive cheer to winter gatherings. Sweet-tart flavors meld perfectly, inviting family and friends to savor each delicious slice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (15 oz/425 g) pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) gingerbread cookie crumbs
- ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Crush graham crackers or chocolate cookies into fine crumbs, mixing with melted butter and granulated sweetener until texture resembles dampened sand.
- Crust Formation: Press the crumbly mixture firmly into a circular baking pan, covering bottom and sides evenly to create a solid foundation.
- Crust Setting: Bake the crust in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8 minutes until lightly golden and butter-infused.
- Filling Creation: Blend pumpkin puree with caramel sugar, warming spices, salt, eggs, and condensed milk, whisking until the mixture becomes smooth and homogeneous.
- Baking Process: Pour the silky pumpkin custard into the pre-baked crust, ensuring even distribution, then return to the oven and bake at 325°F for 50-55 minutes until the filling sets with a gentle wobble.
- Cooling and Serving: Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature, enabling the filling to stabilize. Garnish with whipped cream or a light dusting of cinnamon before serving chilled or at ambient temperature.
Notes
- Prevent Cracking Crust: Gently press graham cracker mixture to avoid air pockets, ensuring a compact and stable base that won’t crumble or separate during baking.
- Manage Moisture Balance: Control pumpkin puree’s liquid content by using fresh, well-drained puree to prevent soggy crust and maintain a creamy, stable filling texture.
- Optimize Baking Temperature: Use medium-low heat around 325°F to prevent rapid temperature changes that cause filling to crack or become grainy, promoting smooth custard consistency.
- Enhance Flavor Depth: Toast spices briefly before mixing to intensify their aromatic compounds, releasing richer, more complex flavor profiles in the pumpkin pie filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 195 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg