Cookie Crust Pumpkin Pie with Salted Caramel and 7-Minute Frosting
This Cookie Crust Pumpkin Pie takes pumpkin pie to the next level with a molasses or gingersnap cookie crust, salted caramel drizzle, and a topping of 7-minute frosting.
Ingredients
Pumpin Pie Ingredients
- 1 cup gingersnap or molasses cookies
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin cooked and pureed
- 1 and 1/2 cups half and half
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 cup brown butter salted caramel
- flaky sea salt to taste
7 Minute Frosting Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Pie Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut a sugar pie pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds and pulp, and place face down on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until you can pierce the skins with a fork.
- Scoop out the pumpkin and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they are a fine texture.
- Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and sugar. Pat the mixture firmly on the bottom of buttered 9-inch spring-form pan. Or you can use a regular pie tin. Double the crust recipe though in order to get the crust all the way up the sides of the pie tin.
- Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared spring-form pan or regular pie tin. Bake for 60 minutes, until the pie is firm in the center.
- Let the pie cool for 10 minutes.
- Heat caramel in microwave until it is easily pourable. Pour the caramel over the pie. Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt.
- Let the pie cool till room temperature and then put it in the fridge.
7 Minute Frosting Instructions
- Put water in the bottom of a double boiler, making sure that it doesn’t touch the top pan. Bring it to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the top portion of the double boiler (you’re doing this off the heat). Cream of tartar prevents sugar crystals from forming, keeping the frosting smooth and not grainy.
- Add the cold water and beat for a 1/2 minute on low speed. It should look well combined but not fluffy.
- Place over the boiling water and beat constantly on high speed with an electric mixer for about 7 minutes till the frosting has formed stiff peaks. Stiff peaks mean that when you pull the mixer out, you could turn it to the side and the frosting peaks won’t fall because they’re stiff.
- Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract, beating for about 2 minutes on high until the frosting is at a spreadable consistency. It should be smooth and fluffy. This type of frosting does not last long at room temperature (4 hours) before it starts to harden.