The Best Halloween Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Directions

1. For the crust, mix flour and sugar and cold butter to make crumbs. I like to grate frozen butter when making both my pie crusts and scones.
2. Add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Assemble the dough into a ball. Next, put it in the refrigerator for an hour to chill.
3. For the pumpkin filling, you have two options. You can make your pumpkin puree at home. Alternatively, you can buy canned pumpkin puree as an easy option.
4. If making your own pumpkin puree, follow the instructions here. If you are using canned pumpkin, simply open the can and add 13 ounces to your other pumpkin pie filling ingredients.
5. Mix pumpkin puree with eggs and sugar. Next, add sweetened condensed milk, flour and spices. Beat with a mixer.
6. After an hour, remove dough from the refrigerator, and roll out the dough to a thickness of 3-4 mm. Place in pie dish. With this pie you see a more rustic pie crust look with the edges rough and uneven. I love the look of this for the Halloween feel. You could always do a more traditional style if you want a cleaner look.
7. Add filling to pie crust.
8. Bake for 15 minutes at a temperature of 400 F, then reduce the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 45-50 minutes. Check with 15 minutes remaining, and if the crust is getting too dark, cover the darkening bits with foil.
9. Allow to cool completely by sticking the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator for two hours.
10. For the meringue ghosts, preheat your oven to 200 F.
11. Add egg whites (make sure to get no yolks), cream of tartar, vanilla and salt to a stand mixer, mixing until soft peaks form. Start slow and work up to high.
12. Next, Gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix for 15 seconds in between before adding the next tablespoon of sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat for an additional 5 minutes. The meringue mixture should be a glossy, smooth and fluffy consistency.
13. Pipe these into “ghosts” by attaching a round tip to a pastry bag. With even pressure, pipe the ghosts out by squeezing and moving your hand slightly up and down. Pipe onto parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet.
14. Bake for an hour. Then, turn off oven, keep door shut and keep meringue ghosts in the oven for another 1-2 hours. They should be dry and crisp.
15. For the eyes, add chocolate bits, nuts, poppyseeds or edible eyes like these ones (Amazon affiliate link). A little caramel can help them stick. Cutting up some Rolos give you the eye and the caramel that helps attach them.