During this time of year (my favorite of all) there are some of the best desserts made in households across America: pumpkin pie and pecan pie. At Christmas Dinner there are so many desserts that even though you want to try a slice of all of them you don’t have enough room, which got me thinking…

Why don’t we combine them into one pie? The smooth cinnamon-nutmeg taste of pumpkin pie AND the sugary praline top of a pecan pie? While both are amazing on their own I wanted to see if joining them would make something even better. Well, it did! This recipe for a perfect Pumpkin Praline Pie will be your next Holiday hit.

You can’t go wrong with a flaky all-butter crust, delicious pumpkin pie, and a crunchy praline. Enjoy this new addition to the long list of Holiday desserts and as always…

Happy Baking!

Ivy B. Lake

For this recipe you will need a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, several mixing bowls, a food processor (optional), plastic wrap, foil/crust shield, and lots of focus! Yields one pie.

Ingredients for the crust:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. very cold butter, cubed (1 stick)
• 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup ice water

Ingredients for the pumpkin:

• 1 1/2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • use 3/4 cup if using canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. additional cinnamon
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Ingredients for the praline:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp. dark corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• handful of pecan halves (optional)

Directions: 

To prepare the crust, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add half of the cold cubed butter and thoroughly rub with fingers into the flour (or use flour cutter). Now add the rest of the cold butter and rub into flour until there are clumps the size of peas.

Slowly add ice water and squeeze to see if the dough holds into a ball shape. Once it forms a ball, pat the ball into a thick disc and wrap it in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, roll out the dough to fit into the pie dish. Crimp the edges as desired and prick the bottom with a fork. Chill the entire pie dish like this for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

For the pumpkin filling, whisk together the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, white sugar, and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Next beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the 2 eggs and then add the pumpkin. Add the sugar/spice mix. Stir in the evaporated milk and then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the crust once combined and then bake at 425 for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-45 minutes.

For the pecan praline topping, toss the chopped pecans in the brown sugar and salt. Add the corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla and work with fingers to combine.

Once the pie is finished baking according to the above times, remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the praline over the top of the pumpkin filling (which should not be liquidy). Sprinkle this topping with a dusting of white sugar and create a ring of pecan halves if you’d like (see my pictures). It is best to cover the edges of the crust with foil or a crust cover to avoid burning. Bake pie again at 350 for 10-15 minutes until the pecans are fragrant.

After removing the pie from the oven make sure to let the pie cool completely. It’s okay to leave this pie out for a few days but if you’re not going to eat it all within that time frame I would store it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or wax paper.

It may be a lot of different elements for one pie, but its so fun and creates a fantastic result! This is a guaranteed new favorite! Leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.