Boozy Pumpkin Eggnog Pie

A really delicious twist on a classic holiday dessert. Pumpkin pie is most commonly made for Thanksgiving, but I say why not have it at any time during the fall and winter. Life is short, eat more pie. Especially if it's boozy pumpkin eggnog pie. 

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This is the pumpkin pie recipe my mom always baked when I was a kid. Minus the alcohol. The eggnog gives the pie a much richer flavor. Suffice to say, this recipe has been well tested, and well eaten over the years in my family

Ingredients:

• Pie Crust - store bought or your own homemade version
• Eggs
• Canned Pumpkin - Do not use pie filling, but just plain canned pureed pumpkin
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Cloves
• Eggnog
• Bourbon
• Heavy Cream
• Confectioners Sugar
• Cinnamon

How do you make pie crust?

This is tricky since I don't have a pie crust recipe of my own. I have a few different ones I will use.

For this pumpkin pie I used the recipe from America's Test Kitchen Baking Book. It s a sour cream crust, my mom used a sour cream crust for hers, so that is what I went with for mine.

If you have a favorite recipe go ahead and use that. I also really like the old-fashioned flaky pie crust from Stella at Serious Eats.  Its buttery, flaky and so easy to work with. Pie crust isn't my area of expertise so I have always used tried and true recipes from others. The one I used for this pie is in the recipe card.

This recipe doesn't call for blind baking the pie crust first. Some custard pies do better with a partially baked crust. I found that the crust I used works great but if the recipe you use calls for blind baking you can do this ahead of time as well. I don't see any issues with buying a pre-made crust.

I am all for saving time. Pie is one of the recipes that are typically made ahead of time during the holidays. Makes it easier for the day of the holiday to have one less thing to make that day.

What kind of pumpkin is used for pumpkin pie?

We all know that canned pumpkin really isn't pumpkin. It's a variety of squashes that are similar. If you want to roast your own pumpkin or squash instead of using canned there are several varieties you can cook.

Pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns are the wrong kind of pumpkin to use. Those are best for roasted pumpkin seed recipes only.  Sugar pumpkins are what you want to go for. They aren't as commonly found in stores or markets, depending on what part of the country you live in. Baby Pam, Autumn Gold, New England Pie, Jarrahdale, Dickinson, and Cheese pumpkin to name a few. All in the pumpkin/squash family. Even butternut or hubbard squash can be used.

I have found that when roasting pumpkin or squash for pie that you need to roast, puree then thicken more in a pan over  medium heat to thicken enough for a pie. While this method is great for using fresh and not canned,  it does take a lot longer.

It's worth doing at least once. I roast squash often for soups, or for making my own squash purees to add into muffins, waffles or pancakes. A variety of pumpkins or squash yields best texture and flavor. If using canned make sure its just the squash/pumpkin puree NOT the pie filling which has added sugars and spices. 

Eggnog in pumpkin pie:

Not typically used in pumpkin pie recipes. Usually heavy cream or evaporated milk is used. Because eggnog is already sweetened the recipe uses less sugar overall. Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk but I find that way too sweet to use. I like the richness that eggnog adds as well as more depth to the flavor of this pie.

Eggnog and pumpkin go really well together. And with the remaining eggnog you can make yourself a cocktail to sip on while you eat a slice of pie! 

Serving and Storage:

You can serve the pie warm, at room temperature or cold. The hotter the pie is, the less the middle will be set and the whipped cream will melt. I prefer to serve at either room temperature or cold.

The pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Just wrap the pie with plastic wrap and then foil. It should last up to a week, the crust will get softer.

Notes:

• You can sub out the eggnog if it's not your thing. Use heavy cream instead or you can make it non-dairy with using a milk alternative. Coconut milk would be amazing
• Don't care for bourbon? Feel free to substitute another liquor ( spiced rum anyone?) or omit altogether for a non-alcoholic pie. Sub with the milk you choose to use
• The recipe calls for either a store bought pie crust or you can make your own ( if you have your own pie crust recipe go for it) I have included a pie crust recipe that doesn't need to be pre-baked. Make the crust, chill it, fill it, bake it, cool it, add topping, eat it. 
• This pie can be made ahead of time. You can make the crust and freeze it if making your own. You can make the whole thing and freeze it then thaw overnight in the fridge. The pie is made a day ahead of time as it is, but if you really want to save time even the day before a holiday go ahead and make a week early if you like.
• This pie is baked with two diff temps, higher then lower for a slower bake. You want the middle to still jiggle a little, it will set once chilled. IF there is a crack in the middle of the pie, don't panic. Just cover with whipped cream!!

Other delicious holiday pies and tarts to try:

Egg Custard Pie

Boozy Coconut Cream Pie

Persimmon Pear Brandy Pie

Persimmon Galette

Boozy Pumpkin Eggnog Pie

Shanna

Boozy Pumpkin Eggnog Pie Like mom makes, only boozier. The eggnog adds an extra layer of flavor and creamy richness.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Additional Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings 10 -12 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 9 " unbaked pie shell, premade/store bought or made from scratch

Ingredients for Pie Crust if making from scratch ( This is the recipe I used)

• (Source: America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
• ⅓ cup ice water, plus extra as needed
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 11.25 ounces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces and frozen for ten to fifteen minutes

Ingredients for filling

• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• One 15 ounce can pumpkin, Not pie filling
• ¾ c granulated sugar, 5.25 ounces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 1-⅓ C eggnog, 320 ml
• ⅓ c good quality Bourbon, I used Makers Mark (80 ml)
• Topping:
• 1 cup heavy cream, 40 ml
• 2-3 tablespoon confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon bourbon, optional

Instructions

 

For Pie Crust

• Mix ⅓ cup of the ice water and sour cream together in a small bowl until combined.
• Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined.
• Scatter the butter pieces over the top and pulse the mixture until the butter is slightly larger than the size of large peas (about 5-8 quick pulses)
• Pour half the sour cream mixture over the flour mixture and pulse until incorporated, about three pulses. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if the dough feels dry and doesn’t hold together, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water over the mixture and pulse just until the dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains (3-5 pulses).
• Divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour up to 3 days. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about ten minutes if chilled for one hour, at least 30 minutes if chilled overnight. When ready to roll out lightly dust your counter or rolling surface with flour and roll to about a 12” disc.
• Carefully set the dough in the pie pan and gently press it down and to the sides. Trim the edges a little longer than the edge of the pie pan. Crimp dough edges with fingers or a fork. Pie crust doesn't need to be baked before filling.

For the filling:

• Preheat oven to 425 Deg F.
• Beat eggs lightly add in the pumpkin, sugar and spices and mix well. Add in the eggnog and bourbon and stir until well combined and slowly pour into pie shell. If there is excess filling set it aside and add it to the pie after 5 minutes of baking. Bake the pie for 15 min in preheated oven.
• Reduce oven to 350 Deg F and bake another 35 min more or until the top is mostly set and the middle jiggles slightly. Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.
• Once cool wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight.
• When ready to serve let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes first.
• Make the whipped cream. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks, add in the confectioners sugar and whip again. Taste and add more sugar if a sweeter topping is desired, add in the optional bourbon. Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and pipe swirls around the edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Slice and serve

Notes

The original recipe per my mom's instructions are to bake for 25 minutes at 350 (after the initial 15 minutes at 425 Deg) for a total of 40 minutes. I found with my oven that the pie wasn't done at all after 40 minutes of baking so I kept checking the pie in 5 minute intervals until the top was almost set, about 45 min at 350 deg, one hour total baking time. Since ovens vary I suggest checking often to make sure the pie is baked enough.

If you don't care for eggnog you can substitute with another liquid such as a non-dairy milk ( coconut milk would be amazing) or heavy cream.

You can also sub out the bourbon if you want to use a different liquor (spiced rum anyone?) or if you want to make in non-alcoholic omit altogether and add in more milk/non-dairy alternative.

There you have it. A super easy and delicious boozy pumpkin eggnog pie!