Ginger Pecan Pumpkin Pie

By Jo Elizabeth Pinto

As the searing heat and steaming humidity of summer fade into the crispness of fall we clear away our grilling implements and ready for the fun of baking.

Pumpkin pie comes around as surely as the leaves change colors every fall. But here’s a new twist on an old favorite that might have even some pumpkin naysayers giving the traditional autumn pie a second look.

Ginger Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups finely crushed ginger snaps (about 40 cookies)

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup brown sugar, divided

1 16-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups heavy or whipping cream, divided

1 cup pecans, finely ground

Directions:

1. Mix the cookie crumbs, butter or margarine, and two tablespoons of the brown sugar thoroughly in a pie plate. Press the crust mixture firmly onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin with the remaining brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and one cup of the heavy cream. Fold in ground pecans.

3. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes or till knife inserted an inch from the edge of the pie comes out clean. Cover pie with foil halfway through baking.

4. Cool pie completely before serving. Garnish with remaining cream, whipped to stiff peaks with sugar added, and additional cookie and pecan halves.

If you try and enjoy this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please feel free to drop me a line at: jopinto@msn.com

More about Jo Elizabeth Pinto.

Jo Elizabeth Pinto was among the first blind students to integrate the public schools in the 1970’s when federal laws allowed disabled students to be educated with their peers. In 1992, she received a degree in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado. While teaching disabled students how to use adaptive technology, she earned a second degree in 2004 from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in Nonprofit Management. She freelances these days as an editor and a braille proofreader.

Pinto lives in Colorado with her husband and their teenage daughter. Their family also includes Pinto’s guide dog Spreckles, a poodle/Maltese mix called Leo, and an aging family cat who answers to the name Sam-I-Am when he feels like it.

Visit Jo on her website here.