Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving dinner came a little early this year. I really can't complain. Now I get to go ahead and start listening to Christmas music. And decorate…although I still need to get a tree…Anyways, I made our pie. I did some Pinterest-ing and Google-ing, and somewhere I came along this Pumpkin Pecan Pie with, what I'm calling, an Egg Nog sauce. It's completely perfect. My most favorite holiday flavors all in one bite. Bonus: I physically cannot digest it, so the absurd amount of calories don't count. Perks of not having a gallbladder? 

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Filling:

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 TBSP granulated sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 TBSP unsalted butter, softened

1 TBSP vanilla 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp all spice

Pecan Filling:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup corn syrup

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

1 pinch cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325*F.
• Prepare your favorite pie crust or use a pre-made pie crust dough. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. Place the dough inside, pressing it up the sides. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pumpkin filling. Mix and set aside.
• In another medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pecan filling. Mix and set aside.
• Pull your crust out of the fridge. Pour the pumpkin mixture in, spreading evenly across the bottom. Pour the pecan mixture over that. 
• Place in the oven and bake for about 2 hours or until set.

Egg Nog Sauce

4 TBSP unsalted butter

1 large egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 TBSP very hot water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey

Nutmeg & cinnamon to taste

Directions:

• Melt the butter in the top of a double broiler set over gently simmering water.
• Beat the sugar, egg and vanilla in a small bowl until blended. Add to the melted butter.
• Add the hot water and stir until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 7-8 minutes).
• Remove from double broiler and cool to room temperature.
• Mix in the cream, bourbon, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

If you want to avoid the alcohol, but like egg nog, I'd recommend serving this pie up with some egg nog ice cream. Yum! 

Eggnog Scones

Remember way back when I told you I had a recipe that would use up your extra topping from the pumpkin snickerdoodles AND the extra glaze from the eggnog cookies?  Well, it's finally here.  My obvious solution to having extra stuff lying around was to make scones.  They turned out to be pretty stinking wonderful.  Especially wonderful warm out of the oven!  I kind of combined ideas from several recipes I found on Pinterest to create my own, but this one, from Tea Time Magazine, is really what I mostly went off of.  I picked it because it used the least amount of butter which, in my head, makes it healthier...yeah, right.  

 
Eggnog Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used the sugar mixture left from the pumpkin snickerdoodles, about 1/4 cup, then added white sugar to get 1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (I used a heaping 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I added this even though there was already cinnamon in the sugar mixture)
4 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP shortening
1/2 cup eggnog (the original calls for 1/4 cup plus 3 TBSP, but I needed more than that to moisten up the dough. Start with 1/4 cup and then slowly add more to get the right texture.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and shortening into dry mixture until the mixture resembles a dry meal or coarse crumbles.  

In a small bowl, whisk together eggnog and egg. Pour this wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir until moistened. (Add extra eggnog, if needed.) Dough should be moist and sticky.

Place dough on lined baking sheet and form into a circle, about 3/4" thick.  Bake, oh I don't know, for like 20-25 minutes.  Maybe.  I don't remember.  It should be golden on top, and a toothpick should come out of the center clean.  Then, you can take it out of the oven and drizzle some eggnog glaze on top.  Enjoy! 

Eggnog Cookies

My favorite cookie this year would have to be the eggnog one.  I love eggnog.  It's REALLY good that it's only around once a year...because it's terrible for you...but so tasty.  I was a little concerned about how the eggnog cookies would turn out.  I think sometimes things like this turn out tasting really processed or just end up with a weird flavor.  These cookies, however, turned out wonderfully.  Very soft.  Perfect eggnog taste.  Definitely a hit.  Definitely a keeper.  

Eggnog Cookies
Original Recipe from Your Cup of Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 tsp nutmeg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (I probably used a little more cinnamon and nutmeg than called for.)

Cream sugar and butter until light.

Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.

Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.  Do not over-beat.  

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until the edges barely start to brown.

While the cookies are baking, you can whip together some eggnog glaze.  Just combine eggnog with powdered sugar until you get the quantity and consistency you want.  Make a little extra to drizzle on some eggnog scones! (The recipe for those should be coming tomorrow.)