Homemade Pumpkin Pie, Butter Crust, & Whipped Cream

My 7 year old has had a terrible craving for pumpkin pie for days when he found a can I had planned on making pumpkin bread with.  I put him off for days because my mother in law usually makes me crust and she is not here, so that means I make one or buy it!  The buy it part did not go well, I kept forgetting, today after he had tears last night I brokedown and tore through Pinterest and found an awesome recipe for pie crust.

Butter Pie Crust--This recipe uses a food processor, I do not have a large one so I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer.

The Perfect Pie Crust {Butter Recipe}
makes two 9″ pie crusts
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)--really cold
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6-8 tbsp ice cold water
Directions:

1. Pull out butter and cut into small cubes, place in a bowl and put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a food processor add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to mix.
3. Place the freezing cold butter into the food processor and pulse 5-6 times or until the flour becomes crumbly.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of ice cold water at a time and pulse a few times between each tablespoon until the dough will stick together when pinched (it took me 7 tablespoons).
5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half to make two equal balls.
6. Trying not to handle the dough too much, quickly shape into a small disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 
7. When you’re ready to make your pie pull out the dough and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
8. Roll out to a thin 12 inch diameter circle. Carefully place in a 9 inch pie pan and trim the extra dough around the edges. Fill with your choice of pie filling, and bake!

To Pre-Bake a Pie Crust
If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, as many custard pie recipes do, follow all the steps above until you get to the point where it says to put in the filling. Note that you will need to make only a half recipe if you are only doing a bottom crust. Freeze the crust for at least a half hour, until chilled. This is an important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Fill at least two-thirds full with pie weights – dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights.
Bake with weights for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. Poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling. You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt

I use the Libbys Pumpkin Pie Recipe, always works great!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

 

Here is a picture of my pie with the homemade crust and picture of homemade cool whip!  Plus of course I had no cool whip, but did have heavy whipping cream I turned into homemade cool whip.  Use a cold metal bowl, put in a pint of heavy whipping cream, a tbsp. or 2 of powdered sugar and teaspoon of vanilla.  Whip this for a couple minutes till thick, its that easy!