Special Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

A decadent Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie (from scratch) made from a whole Pumpkin, baked into an easy lard based crust.Then topped with sweetened pumpkin seed toffee and Mascarpone whipped cream. Can fall get any better?

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Traditional Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie with Toffee

This Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie is going to be the hit of your dessert table. I always have enough extra pumpkin in the fridge to make a second pie to take to the in-laws for the holiday.

I’m all out of fresh pumpkin seeds, but I’ll think of something fresh to add to the topping. Maybe just smaller toffee chunks scattered over top. The toffee topping will bring your Thanksgiving pie to a new level.

It’s amazing what just butter and brown sugar can do.

The amazing buttery flavor and the crispy crunch of the toffee – plus, I added a touch of Maldon sea salt and LOVED it!

Fresh Pumpkin Puree

For the best result stick to homemade pumpkin puree from scratch. You can easily roast a few and keep the puree, even frozen, until you need it for recipes. No need for canned pumpkin anymore.

Ok, so even if you decide to use a frozen crust, use canned pumpkin, top it up with fresh mascarpone cream. Put this little extra effort into it and make a special dessert for special people on this special holiday.

Store leftovers

Leftover pie can be kept in the fridge for up to one week. Make sure to pack it properly. You can even freeze the slices for up to 4 months.

Check out the other Thanksgiving Recipes.

5 from 5 votes

Thanksgiving Mascarpone Pumpkin Pie with Toffee

This Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie with toffee is made with real, homemade pumpkin puree and topped with whipped mascarpone cream.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Print recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved to Grow!

Course Pies

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Calories 559 kcal

Cook ModeScreen not going dark

Ingredients 

US Custom – Metric

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 C Mascarpone Cheese
• 1 C Heavy Cream
• ¼ C sugar

FOR THE TOFFEE

• ½ C Butter
• ½ C Brown Sugar
• Sweetened Pumpkin Seeds
• Maldon Sea Salt

For the Pie Crust

• 6 Tbsp butter chilled
• 2 Tbsp lard chilled
• 1 C flour plus extra for rolling dough
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ C ice water

For the Pumpkin Filling

• 2 C pumpkin puree
• ¾ C sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 1 C cream
• ½ C milk

Instructions 

Baking the pumpkin pie

• Begin by assembling your ingredients: butter, lard, flour, and salt. Equip yourself with a food processor and add in the ingredients. Pulse the mixture about 10 times until it reaches a texture resembling that of small pebbles. Ensure an even distribution of fats, scrape down the sides of the processor.
• Gradually drizzle half of the required water into the mixture while pulsing. Do an additional 8 pulses. As the dough starts coming together, introduce the remaining water while continuing to pulse.
• The mixture should start forming a cohesive dough ball. With this you are done.
• Transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a flat disk and wrap it securely with another layer of plastic. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator, ideally for at least an hour, but up to two days for optimal results.
• When you’re ready to roll out the crust, sprinkle your work surface with flour. Place the chilled dough on the floured surface and roll it out into a large circular shape that will fit your pie pan.
• Gently fold the rolled dough in half, and then in half again. This facilitates the transfer of the dough to the pie pan. Unfold the dough in the pan and carefully press it into place, making sure to evenly cover the center and edges of the pan. Trim any excess dough hanging over the edges.
• Allow the pie pan with the crust to chill in the refrigerator as you prepare your pumpkin pie filling.
• Now preheat your oven to 400 °F.
• In a cooking pan, heat the pumpkin puree. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes, allowing the puree to lose excess moisture and develop a slightly caramelized flavor. Remove the puree from heat while keeping it warm.
• Integrate sugar, salt, and the spices into the puree, creating a rich and aromatic filling. Pour the cooled pumpkin filling into the pie crust.
• Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust achieves a golden brown color. The center of the filling should remain slightly soft, forming a small circle.
• Allow the pie to cool thoroughly on a rack. For the best results, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, allowing the flavors to meld and the filling to set perfectly.

The Mascarpone whipped cream

• Add the heavy cream to a mixer with a whisk attachment and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar then whip in the Mascarpone cheese until thickened. Cover and refrigerate.

For the toffee

• Place the butter and brown sugar into a heavy pot and stir. Using a candy thermometer, heat and stir until it come to 300º F then remove from the heat. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the toffee over in a thin layer. You'll see some separation of the oil from the butter and that's fine.

  Quickly and carefully add the pumpkin seeds to the toffee and sprinkle on some salt before it hardens.
• Allow the toffee to sit for an hour then break up into shards.
• Top up your pie with the whipped cream and decorate with toffee chunks. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 11688IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Recipe Video

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Author: Susan Queck

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