Pumpkin Pie with Graham Crumble

It is never too early to start making, or thinking about, those holiday favorites for the coming season of eating! Pumpkin Pie has always been the easy treat served annually by my family and friends. What isn't to enjoy from a dessert that is simple to throw together and can be made in advance well before any guests arrive? This version takes the classic approach, less the roasting of a gourd, and pairs it with a graham cracker and flour blended crust and crumble. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Servings: 12 Slices

Prep Time: ~25 minutes

Crust

3 Tablespoons Butter, Unsalted, chilled

2 Tablespoons Shortening, chilled

1/2 Cup Flour, All-Purpose

3/4 Cup Graham Crackers Crumbs

1/4 Cup Sugar
{remove 1/2 cup of crumble mixture before adding water}

1 Tablespoon Water

Pie Filling

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

12 oz Evaporated Milk, Fat Free

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

Crumble Topping

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon + 1/2 Cup of Crust Base

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust Base: Mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in chilled shortening and butter until crumbles form. Remove about 1/2 Cup and place in fridge for later; While mixing, add in water until dough forms. Press (by hand) into the bottom of an non-greased 9" pan (pie plate or cake pan is fine) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Increase oven to 400 degrees.

Pie Filling: Mix ingredients for the filling in the order listed. Pour into the pie crust and bake at 400 for 20 min in the center of the oven. Remove the crumbles from the fridge and toss in cinnamon. Sprinkle over the semi-baked pie. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for another 40 minutes - should only slightly 'shake' when it's fully cooked and outer edges will appear darker than the middle.

Set aside to cool and refrigerate until serving. That's all there is! I added a cinnamon whipped cream (see: Angel Food Cupcakes with Cinnamon Whip) to the pie but the pairings are open - a full course meal would also do just fine.