Pumpkin Pie with Pecans & Graham Cracker Brown Sugar Crumble
My aunt Barbara always had a famous crowd-pleaser of a recipe for pumpkin pie with a pecan brown sugar topping, so this Thanksgiving I made it based on how I thought it would be made, as I never ended up getting the recipe. I thought it would be a good compromise because Evan loves pumpkin pie and I love pecan pie.
I made a graham cracker crust, filled it with my pumpkin pie filling (adapted from Libby’s famous recipe) and then added a topping which consisted of maple-brown-sugar-glazed-and-roasted pecans and a graham-cracker-brown-sugar-butter crumble.
Recipe after the jump.
Pumpkin Pie with Pecans
Ingredients:
- 2 cups crushed graham crackers
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (approx 35 nicely shaped unbroken) pecan halves
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water
1. First make the graham cracker crust. You can crush the graham crackers in a food processor, or just with a muddler.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the crushed graham crackers, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and 1/3 cup of the butter, melted.
3. Mix it together very well and then press it into your pie dish, along all the sides.
4. Bake the pie crust at 400º for about 10 minutes, until it’s golden brown.
5. Mix the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl. Beat the eggs in a stand mixer. Add pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
6. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 425º for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º. Bake at this temperature for 30 minutes.
7. While the baking is happening, combine the remaining crushed graham crackers with 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter, and a dash of cinnamon. Combine well.
8. Sautee pecans with remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp water, and 1 tsp maple syrup until thick consistency is achieved. Transfer pecans to baking sheet lined with foil and bake until amber brown and glazed.
9. After the 30 minutes is up, remove pie from oven, and decorate with the pecans and crumble topping. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
