Pumpkin Pecan Pie

A special pie, perfect for Thanksgiving tables. The recipe combines both pumpkin and pecan in a single pie, in separate but somehow almost-melded layers.

Come Thanksgiving occasions when pies are on offer, the smart reply is, “A sliver of each, please”. Pumpkin Pecan Pie is two Thanksgiving favorites in one, pumpkin and pecan both, slicing into something distinctly original.

The filling recipe comes from my favorite cookbook for two years. Page after page, Baking: From My Home to Yours sends me into the kitchen. Author Dorie Greenspan calls for easy-to-find pantry ingredients in appealing, homey recipes. Pies? Muffins? Bundt cakes? Cookies? Yes, yes, yes and yes and much in between. It’s a baker’s treasure.

For anyone who's nervous about rolling a pie crust, this no-roll crust is, well, as "easy as pie". It also tastes so, so good, like the very best oatmeal cookie you can imagine.

NO-ROLL OATMEAL CRUST

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
• 1 cup (90g) old-fashioned oats, pulsed in food processor 10 - 12 times to form a fine flour
• 1 cup (125g) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, stir butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon til smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. With the back of a spoon, press the dough evenly and firmly into a nine-inch deep-dish pie plate to form a crust, starting with the sides, then finishing with the bottom. Freeze the crust while mixing the fillings.

ALANNA's TIPS Buy pure pumpkin purée, not sweetened pie filling. As the oven preheats, toast the nuts, tossing occasionally. For drama, substitute pecan halves for pieces and arrange decoratively atop the pumpkin filling before adding the pecan filling. This is what I usually do, it's what's pictured.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

One pie, two Thanksgiving favorites

Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Time-to-table: 2 hours

• No-Roll Oatmeal Crust, (recipe on the left), frozen

PECAN FILLING
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup (165g) dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

PUMPKIN FILLING
• 1 cup (230) canned or fresh pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup (50g) brown sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons rum or bourbon or more vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• 4 ounces pecan halves or pieces, toasted

Preheat oven to 450F.

PECAN FILLING In a bowl, whisk eggs until well combined, then whisk in remaining pecan filling ingredients. Set aside.

PUMPKIN FILLING In a food processor, pulse pumpkin filling ingredients til smooth – just be sure not to "whip" the mixture.

FILL THE PIE Pour pumpkin filling into crust. Arrange or sprinkle nuts evenly across the pumpkin filling. Work gently, pour pecan filling over pecans, covering but not burying them.

BAKE BRIEFLY AT HIGH HEAT Cover crust edge with pie shield or foil. Bake for 10 minutes.

FINISH BAKING AT LOWER HEAT Reduce heat to 300F. Bake another 35 - 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

SERVE Cut into slices and serve just warm or at room temperature on its own or with whipped cream.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per slice, assumes 8 slices but easily slices into 12 or even 16 slices: 506 Calories; 26g Tot Fat; 11g Sat Fat; 131mg Cholesterol; 229mg Sodium; 64g Carb; 4g Fiber; 8g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 11.5 & WW Points Plus 14.

RECIPE HISTORY Recipe and photo updated in 2013, when I was so pleased to be reminded: This is one spectacular pie!

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Looking for a Delicious No-Roll Crust? Look No Further!

This is such an easy crust, there's no reason not to make your own. No rolling required! Just press the oatmeal-cookie crust into a pie pan with the back of a spoon. Be sure to firm up the edge of the crust along the rim. Where's that recipe? Check out No-Roll Oatmeal Crust!

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More Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

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~ more pie recipes ~

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OATMEAL - QUAKER LIVING PROOF

Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting up with a group of bloggers in Chicago, all of us guests of Quaker Oats, all to learn more about "Living Proof", Quaker's 25 years of research demonstrating that along with a heart-healthy diet, oatmeal consumption helps lower cholesterol, which helps lower heart disease. I was so impressed by this group of 'fit bloggers', all fun, smart, ambitious – and most of all, nice – young women. Okay, and one guy too! (List updated December 2013)

Kath of Kath Eats Carla of MizFit Online Roni of Roni's Weigh Jennette of PastaQueen Lyn of Escape from Obesity Tanya of I Ate A Pie Lisa of Workout Mommy Monique of Big Fat Deal Leslie of Weighting Game (no longer active) Anne Marie of This Mama Cooks Amy of Super Healthy Kids Jenna of Eat Live Run Anne of Elastic Waist (no longer active) Jason of Twit2Fit (no longer active) Stephanie of Back in Skinny Jeans

In the new year, I'll be back with more information about Quaker's Living Proof (and recipes, of course!) but in the mean time, you'll see that old-fashioned oats are a regular ingredient in Kitchen Parade recipes.

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

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More Thanksgiving Recipes

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

~ more Thanksgiving recipes ~

~ more Thanksgiving vegetable recipes ~
the great collection of recipes from A Veggie Venture

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