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Brandied Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Whipped Cream

Main photograph of prepared recipe.

Creamy, rich pumpkin pie, made with brandy, brown sugar, and heavy cream, for a tummy-warming, decadent flavor. The texture is unbelievably smooth! Perfect for an autumn evening, but worth having in the house at other times or the year, too. And by the way, it's great for breakfast.

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Difficulty Level

Easy

Hard

Needed Items

Durations

  • 10 minutes hands on for pie
    1 hour baking
    1 hour cooling
    10 minutes hands on for whipped cream topping

Ingredients

  • 1 9" or 10" unbaked pie shell
    1 15 oz can pumpkin
    2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    2 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp ground ginger
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 cup whipping cream
    2/3 cup milk
    3 eggs
    1/4 cup cognac or other brandy
    TOPPING:
    1 1/2 cups well-chilled heavy whipping cream
    3-6 Tbsp powdered (to taste)
    1/2 tsp ground ginger
    1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (Optional)

Number of Servings

  • 8

Equipment

  • Large bowl
    Whisk
    Pie pan or 8x8" square pan
    Stand or hand mixer

Do-Aheads

  • Make pie crust (look for the Easy Pie Crust podcast--TIP: add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredients or 1 tsp of rum extract or maple extract to the oil)
    Refrigerate the bowl in which you will whip the cream
    Freeze mixer attachment with which you will whip the cream

Additional Notes

Listen to the beginning of this podcast before you make your pie crust, for a tip about flavoring the crust to compliment the pie. (I like 1/2 tsp of cinnamon for this pie.)

This is easy to make crustless, if you or your friends are gluten-free. This is what I did in the podcast.

Although I suggest the use of a food processor for mixing the ingredients in the podcast, I have decided it doesn’t really make enough difference to count. This pie is super smooth and creamy even if you just whisk the ingredients together, and that’s easier and less messy than a food processor.