Confession: I have never made pumpkin pie before. In fact, I’ve never even eaten pumpkin pie before. I always mean to, but it’s just not something (until lately) that’s been that common to buy in the UK. I also feel a bit like I’ve been neglecting my love for nut butter. If anyone has been following me since the early days you’ll know that I used to struggle to go a month without a recipe containing peanut butter (mainly) or nutella. So when I came across a list of “pumpkin pie recipes you must try” the one with the nutella mixed in sort of… jumped out at me. It’s halloween on Saturday and I was going to post a pumpkin pancake recipe especially, but after I made this I decided this trumped it.
The base isn’t pastry, you could use sweet shortcrust pastry if you want, but the ginger biscuits add a whole extra dimension and level of flavour to the rest of the pie. Plus it’s an excuse to pie a couple of packets of crunchy ginger biscuits and work your way through them over the cold autumn nights.
I still don’t actually have any plans for Halloween. I have no idea what I’m doing. My options are a jaunt down to Brighton for a night at Dude Ranch with some of my old workmates from iCrossing, or else it’s a night in with a bunch of horror films. It’s actually a pretty tough decision.
Do you have a favourite pumpkin pie recipe? Let me know in the comments below.
- **For the crust**
- 250g gingersnap biscuits, smashed into small pieces
- 2 Tbsps sugar
- 5 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- **For the filling**
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tin (425g) pumpkin
- 120ml heavy cream
- 110g packed dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsps cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 7 Tbsps Nutella, warmed
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan assisted) and lightly grease a pie tin.
- Mix the sugar with the smashed up biscuits and pour in the butter. Mix it together and push it into the prepared tin. You want to have a good depth but if using quite a deep tin, don't make the sides higher than half way up, or they'll burn.
- Place in the oven and bake for for 10 minutes.
- Remove and prepare the filling.
- Lightly whisk the eggs and add in all the ingredients but the nutella.
- Whisk until the sugar has dissolve and it's all combined.
- Pour this into the pie.
- Take the warmed nutella and swirl it into the pie at different points, leaving the odd bigger pocket of nutella for flavour.
- Place back in the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until it's set enough that the wobble in the middle isn't too severe.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely until it's completely set.
- Serve with cream (whipped if you like).