Pumpkin Spice Pie Crust Your Way lets you highlight the flavors you like best in your buttery rich pie crust with homemade pumpkin spice blend.
A Pie Crust – Your Way
A simple pie crust can be made with a fork, mixer or a food processor, and there is nothing better than homemade pie crusts!
Making a pie crust with pumpkin spices you prefer, allows you to bring out the flavors you prefer and ditch the ones you don’t.
I’ve found that making your own pie crust isn’t much different than making cookies.
Once the crust is pressed into the tart or pie pans the filling goes in and they bake. There are a variety of fillings we can bake in these pie pastries, here are two of my favorites with this pumpkin spice pie crust:
- Winter Forest Creme Brûlée Custard – the subtle flavors of pine in a creamy custard
- Pumpkin Custard – for the seasonal pumpkin spice flavor so many of us love
- Grandmas Bourbon Pecan Pie – with pumpkin spice crust
Homemade Pumpkin Spice
As we all know, pumpkin spice really has nothing to do with pumpkins and is really just a blend of spices that make for an exotic, warm, rich flavor.
Pumpkin spice tastes both delicious and produces a smell that gives us warm fuzzies.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend is a mix I make every year at the onset of September and use throughout the fall and winter months in… well, everything!
Pumpkin Spice Your Way
The spices in pumpkin spice blend are: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and a few other spices that can be added along with these or in place of any of them.
If you notice the pumpkin spice mix before it is blended, you will see the variety of spices that go into the mix.
Some of these spices are dark in color and flavor, while others are lighter.
Maybe you don’t prefer the taste of cloves but love cinnamon; mixing it yourself allows you to highlight flavors your way.
Pumpkin Spice Pie Crust
When making our favorite Autumn or holiday pies, why use a boring pie crust when you can jazz up the flavors with a crust to compliment the pie!
Apple pie? Swap out your usual pie crust recipe for this spice pie crust and see how beautifully it compliments.
Definitely try this crust when making holiday pumpkin pie. Both pumpkin custard and the pie crust will be filled with those holiday spices we all love to taste and smell.
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Invariably, I always have more pie crust than I need.
And so I have begun making ‘cut-outs’ with the remaining pie crust, and placing them on top of the pie.
It adds an ornamental touch and an extra measure of flavor; giving a ‘kind of’ top without the extra hard work.
Cookies are always a good idea to make with the extra pie crust you don’t need for the pie.
Since the flavors of this pie crust are rich in spices, why not make cookies with the remaining crust! So Yummy!
How To Make Pumpkin Spice Pie Crust
I find the easiest way to make pie crust or cookies is with a food processor, although a pastry blender in a medium bowl will work too.
Simply place the butter, flour, sugar and spices into the work bowl, drizzling a whisked egg and cold water in as needed, and whisk until it forms a ball,
Adjust the flour as needed, by adding a little flour is the dough is too sticky or a drizzle of cold water if the dough is too crumbly.
Roll out the crust if no nuts have been added to the dough, or simply press the crust into the pie pan or individual tart pans.
Fill with your chosen filling and bake until the pie is firm and crust is crisp.
Pumpkin Spice Pie Crust – Your Way
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan or 6 small tart pans
- Food processor or Pastry blender and a bowl
Ingredients
- 8 oz Butter cold
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour more for dusting
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Egg whisked
- 1 tbsp Pumpkin Spice homemade
- 1 tbsp Cold water or as needed
- 2 tbsp Nuts, crushed optional
Instructions
- Place butter, flour, sugar, salt, crushed nuts (if using), and spice into the food processor and whisk until crumbled. This step can also be done in a medium bowl with a pastry blender.
- Whisk in the egg and blend until a ball is formed. If dry, add a little cold water at a time. If too wet, add a little flour at a time until a smooth ball is formed.
- Portion into the individual pie pans, or into one single pie pan and press the pie dough into place. Crimp the edges.Crust is now ready to fill.
- Place in a 350 degree oven and bake with the filling of your choice until the filling is cooked and the crust is crisp, about 25 minutes for tarts and 45 for a larger pie.
Notes
- If there is leftover dough, roll out on a floured surface and press into cookies. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.