Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Pumpkin Pie & Spiced Shortbread

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I couldn't help but get in the holiday mood with DESSERT.  And I believe the dessert of the month is probably pumpkin pie.  Can it really be done in a crockpot?  Of course!

I experimented with three batches and I'll share the best recipe with you, which happens to be a combination of different recipes.  Making pumpkin pie in a crockpot is easy, and for those of us who can do without the crust, there's no CRUST!  For those of you who do enjoy the crust, I'm including a really yummy recipe for spiced shortbread, which goes great with my pumpkin pie -- on the side, dipped in, or crumbled over the top.

Crockpot pumpkin pie can be served hot if you like it that way.  Or, while it's still hot, you can transfer it to pie plates (or whatever pretty dishes you like), smooth it out, let it cool, and serve it later.  If you are garnishing with shortbread, do so right before serving.

With all the recipes I tried, there was a little bit of liquid separation that happened during cooking, but it's easily remedied by a gentle stir after the cooking time is done.  Please note:  this recipe makes the equivalent of two regular size pies.  You will need to use a 3-quart crockpot or larger.  If that's too much pie for you, cut the recipe in half.  But then again, who's ever heard of too much pie??


Crockpot Pumpkin Pie

4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (29oz.) can of pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk biscuit mix or Bisquick (add a 1/4 - 1/2 cup extra if you like your pie really firm)
1 teaspoon salt
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice*
2 (12oz.) cans evaporated milk

         (*if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground          
            ginger, and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves)

1.  Grease the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray or butter.

2.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, and pour into crockpot.

3.  Cook on LOW for about 5 hours, or until temperature in center is 160 degrees F.

4.  Garnish with whipped cream and spiced shortbread.  Enjoy!


Spiced Shortbread
   (from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)

1 1/4 cups flour
3 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

1.  Combine all ingredients.  Mix until it comes together and forms a ball.  (patience!)

2.  Knead dough until smooth and no longer crumbly.  Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, and cut into desired shapes.

3.  Carefully place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes.  The bottoms will just start to brown, and centers should be set.  Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

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5 comments:

  1. Did you try any recipes that didn't use evaporated milk? Since I can't use that I would be interested if it worked or not with regular milk (of course I would use goat milk).

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  2. I did use half & half with one of the batches and I don't think it made any real difference when compared to the evaporated milk. Regular milk is only slightly thinner than evaporated, so if you use your goat milk, I'd increase the Bisquick to make sure it thickens. If you try it, post your results! :)

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  3. Cheri, I need to get a new crockpot, what size would you suggest for most of your recipes?

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  4. Holly, I think I'll do an entire post about crockpots. Size is only one part of the decision when making a purchase. But just to quickly answer, a 4-quart is usually sufficient for most recipes.

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