If you can't choose between pumpkin pie and pecan pie, Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie is your answer! This pie has a warmly spiced pumpkin custard filling and crunchy pecan praline topping, all in an easy to make graham cracker crust. Sized for two, this mini pie delivers big Fall flavor!
Prepare the pie crust: Prepare a graham cracker crust by mixing together ¾ cup (75 grams) of graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2½ tablespoons of melted butter. Press the crumb mixture firmly into a 7-inch pie pan (a pastry dough tart tamper can help this process). Par bake it for 8 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven and set aside while you make the filling.
Make the pumpkin filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, cloves, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Whisk in the heavy cream and milk, mixing well. Stir in the eggs and vanilla (see Recipe Notes). Make sure the eggs are thoroughly whisked into the pumpkin custard - you don’t want areas of unincorporated eggs in the custard.
Pour the pumpkin filling into the pie pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center barely jiggles.
Make the praline topping: While pie is baking, stir together the pecans, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the maple syrup and the vanilla and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.
Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling. Return the pie to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 to 12minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream (if desired), and enjoy!
Storage instructions: Cover and store any leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (if you have leftovers, that is!).
Make-ahead instructions: This pie can be made 2 days ahead of time, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
You can replace the graham cracker crust with a homemade pie crust (using using a 6 : 4 : 2 recipe ratio of flour, butter, and water for a half a single crust pie) or use a store bought pie crust. Par-bake the crust at 375˚F before filling it (see these instructions on how to par-bake pie dough without beans or pie weights).Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling generally contains sugar, spices, and other additives. Using pure pumpkin purée allows you to better control the sweetness and spiciness of your pie filling to your preferences.You can replace the maple syrup withgolden syrup for a less robust flavor, or use corn syrup (which doesn't add any flavoring to the topping, just sweetness).If the pumpkin mixture is still too warm after stirring in the milk and heavy cream, temper in the eggs by adding a small amount of pumpkin to the eggs to warm them before adding the eggs back in to the pumpkin. This will ensure there are no bits of scrambled eggs in the pumpkin custard.You can make a full-sized pie by doubling all the ingredients and using a 9-inch pie pan. If you want a standard pastry pie shell, use the 9 : 6 : 3 recipe ratio for a single crust pie.