pumpkin meringue pie

who’s ready for thanksgiving?! for the last year i have been fantasizing about the holidays in our new home, and now that they’re finally here, i'm bursting with excitement...tempered with a little dose of reality. the hubs is working, (hello, shift wife life. and holiday pay!) which means my plans for a cozy, leisurely holiday will not go off as previously pictured. 

that being said, i’m going to sink myself into preparing the most perfectly perfect menu i can conceive, as i have a whole day of solo preparation- and this pie has most definitely made the cut.

(and any pun i ever make is an accident.)

necessary research. #homeiswheretheturkeyis

| ingredients |

for the pumpkin pie:
1 pie crust
15 ounces pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

for the meringue topping:
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

| method |

preheat the oven to 425°F. roll out the pie crust and place in a deep-dish pie pan, crimping the edges as desired. chill in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes.

once chilled, line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (or in my case, rice. fancy, i know.) blind bake the crust for 15 minutes. remove the pie from oven, discarding the rice and parchment paper. return to the oven for an additional five minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. once complete, turn the oven down to 375 f.

while the pie is baking, we can prepare the filling! heat the pumpkin puree, white sugar, brown sugar, honey, and spices in a saucepan over medium heat. whisk to combine and heat for about five minutes, or until the mixture starts to come together and steam. remove from heat, whisking thoroughly until smooth.

whisk in the milk and cream until smooth. add in the eggs and egg yolk and whisk to combine.

pour the pie filling into the crust (remember your oven should be at 375 f now!) and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. the pie will be done when the center has just set or a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

to make the meringue topping, place the egg whites and sugar in a very clean bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. place a couple inches of water in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double-boiler. whisking occasionally, heat until egg mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved, four to five minutes.

once warm, return the mixing bowl to the stand mixer. with the whisk attachment, beat the egg mixture on high until the outside of the mixing bowl is cool. add in the vanilla and mix until medium-stiff peaks form.

after the pie has completely cooled, dollop or pipe meringue on top of the pie filling and toast the top of the meringue with a kitchen torch.

-l
made to border

pumpkin gingersnap cookies

it’s that time of the year again… the pumpkin spice latte is officially out, so we’re calling it fall even if the today's high might be predicted a tad over 100 degrees. (that's how us super southerners mark seasonal changes...starbucks drink offerings.)

since this year my baking list is about a mile and a half long, and it will take me from about now through november to get through them all, today seemed like as good a time as any to get started. these cookies were the perfect recipe to kick off the fall season, they are super flavorful, and not rock-hard like some gingersnaps.

the original recipe calls for them to be rolled in granulated sugar (as shown below), but if you want to sparkle them up [a little somethin' somethin' special] you can add some clear sprinkles.

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| ingredients |

½ cup of butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies (or you can sub sprinkles!)
½ cup of pure pumpkin (i used libby’s canned pumpkin)
¼ cup of molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

| method |

in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.

in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour, up to 2-3 days if needed.

when you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° f. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  place sugar (or sprinkles!) in a small bowl. roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar/sprinkles until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are set. the cookies will still be soft when removed from the oven, so let cool on the baking sheet for a 2-3 minutes after removing, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

-l
made to border

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