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I have a secret. I don't love pumpkin pie. But what I do love is a gooey pumpkin pie paired with a silky, vanilla bean roasted white chocolate pudding.
This pie uses a classic pie crust, I'll share my go to recipe and you can of course use your own or any store bought pie (even a graham cracker crust would be delicious!). It's partially baked first then filled with a dense, pumpkin pie filling. But before you move onto your gooey pumpkin pie filling, it's time to make your pudding.
My vanilla bean roasted white chocolate pudding is one of my proudest creations. It has such a special, sweet and delicious flavor and ultra smooth texture. While it tastes amazing on its own, it tastes even better on top of a gooey pumpkin pie. I was always intimidated by making pudding at home but after a long time of troubleshooting I have been able to get more comfortable and also to simplify the steps for myself and I hope for you too! After you've roasted and set aside your white chocolate, next you'll whisk your egg yolks together with your sugar, cornstarch and vanilla bean until thickened. Set this aside, and heat your milk carefully in a heavy bottom nonstick pan. Next up you'll carefully whisk about half of your heated milk into your egg yolk mixture. Then you'll pour your mixture back into your pot with the rest of your heated milk and heat it until thickened. Once your pudding is done you'll place it into the fridge to cool and set. Later on you'll use half to put on top of your pie, and half to mix with a whipped cream for your third and final pie layer.
The pumpkin pie filling is more dense than your average pumpkin pie. Paired with the smooth white chocolate pudding and pudding whipped cream topping, it is the perfect cold bite after any warm and delicious holiday meal.
I love this combination for Thanksgiving and the holidays because you can make your pudding a day or so ahead of time so then once you make and chill your pie, you're ready to go with your toppings. I know kitchen space can be limited around the holidays so being able to bake in stages like this for me is a huge plus.
Before we get to baking, I have to give honorable mention to Kelly Fields who created what is probably my favorite pumpkin pie ever, and this is heavily inspired by her flavors of pumpkin and roasted white chocolate. You can find the original recipe in The Good Book of Southern Baking, which if you don't already have - I highly recommend it as a cookbook to have in your home!
Ingredients:
Pie crust (or use a store bought pie crust, your own recipe or any crust alternative)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 180g
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick + 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter 141g
1/4 cup ice cold water
Vanilla bean roasted white chocolate pudding topping
Prepared and chilled batch of vanilla bean roasted white chocolate pudding
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Gooey pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar 48gÂ
3/4 cup light brown sugar 144g
1/4 cup cornstarch 32g
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted 113g
4 egg yolks from large eggs
1/3 cup canned pumpkin 86g
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Prep time: About an hour
Bake time: 45 minutes
Chill time: Minimum 6-8 (recommend overnight)
Equipment:
Whisk
Rubber spatula / heatproof spoon
9.5 inch pie dish
Nonstick pot
Medium heatproof bowl
Large bowl
Hand or stand mixer
Additional tools you may need: rolling pin, pastry cutter, plastic wrap, pie weights, sharp knife, cutting board
Cooking instructions:
Before you start, make your vanilla bean roasted white chocolate pudding and chill for 4-6 hours in the fridge.
If using a homemade crust, make your pie crust dough. Cube your butter and place back into the fridge to keep it cold. Put a quarter cup of COLD water and an ice cube or two into a small dish and place into the fridge as well.
Into a large bowl, measure your dry ingredients - flour and salt. Mix to combine.
Add your butter into your dry ingredients and use your hands or a pastry cutter to combine your butter and dry ingredients. You want your butter to reduce in size, but to still be able to see visible pieces of butter. Be sure to move quickly so your butter remains cold - if it feels too soft or warm at all, place it into the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes.
Next, slowly add in your ice cold water, and using a spatula mix quickly to form your pie dough. Only add as much water as you need. Once your dough begins to hold together, pour it onto plastic wrap, form it into a round disk, wrap it, and place into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours, before rolling out.
Partially bake your crust. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll out and shape your pie crust into your pie dish. Place it back into the fridge to chill while your oven preheats - ensure it's cold before hitting the oven so it keeps its shape.
Bake your crust for a total of 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden, with pie weights on your crust for the first half. I use crumpled up parchment paper with my pie weights on top so that it's easy to remove them.
Make your pumpkin pie filling. Lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine your dry ingredients until there are no clumps - granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and pumpkin spice.
Melt your stick of butter in a separate dish and add in and whisk to combine with your dry ingredients.
Next, whisk in your egg yolks one at a time and once fully combined, slowly whisk in your canned pumpkin, heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Pour your pumpkin pie filling into your partially baked crust and place into the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Your pie filling should be darkened around the edges and should still jiggle slightly once baked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for about an hour, and then in your fridge for at least an hour.
Finish topping your pie, let it set in the fridge and then slice in. Add about half of your pudding onto the top of your pie and spread evenly across.
In a separate bowl or in your stand mixer, whip your half cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Fold your whipped cream into your remaining pudding and then baker's choice - you can dollop this over your entire pie, or you can save it and top each slice of pie with this whipped pudding topping. If you topped your pie with the whipped pudding topping, place your pie back into the fridge to chill for a few more hours - ideally overnight before slicing in. This topping is meant to be soft and smooth, so don't worry about any overflow when slicing in - it's part of the delicious fun! If you want an extra clean slice, you can always pop your pie into the freezer for about 30 minutes before slicing in.
Carb and serving info:
Carbs in full pie with topping and homemade crust: 583
Carbs per serving (1 of 8 slices): 73
Carbs per serving (1 of 12 slices): 49
Carbs in pumpkin pie filling: 242
Carbs in pudding and whipped topping: 203
Carbs in pudding only: 191
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.
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