1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven head the oil or butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté 5-6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chipotle in a adobo and stir for another minute. 

2. Add in the spices and bay leaves and stir well then add in the pumpkin puree and stock. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender for this. You may need to process the soup in batches if using a smaller blender. 

3. Transfer back to the pot once pureed, stir in the half and half. Taste and season with more salt and spices if desired. For a spicier soup add inn more of the adobo sauce from the chipotle chiles in adobo. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

1. If using store-bought/premade pie crust skip to step 3.  

2. If making pie crust from scratch combine the flour, salt and baking powder and spices in a bowl and whisk. Add in the butter and mix with your hands, flattening the butter pieces with the flour until incorporated. You can also use a fork or a pastry blender for this step. Add in the ice water one tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough comes together. If your kitchen is warm, chill the dough before adding the water and chill for a few minutes after adding each tablespoon. You want to keep the dough as cold as possible. Once the water is added place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. 

3. Remove the pie crust from the fridge ( store-bought or homemade) and place on a floured surface. Let the store-bought dough come to cool room temperature.  Roll out the homemade crust to about ¼-1/2 inch thick.  Thicker than you would roll out for an actual pie. Unroll store-bought and let thaw slightly.

4. Cut out shapes using whatever shaped mini cookie cutters you like, ( I used a mini fall themed shapes cutters from Wilton) Dip the cutters into flour to keep from sticking to the pie dough as you cut out the shapes. You can also cut the pie dough into small squares or circles or use a fluted pastry cutter to make small strips.  Transfer the cut dough to a baking sheet lined with a silicone bake mat or parchment paper, placing the pieces an inch apart. Whisk the egg and cream and brush the tops of the cut out shapes with the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for 30 minutes. 

5. Preheat oven to 425 Deg. F. Bake pie crust croutons for 8-10 minutes until crisp and golden. Cool slightly on a wire cooling rack before serving. Best served hot.

Serve the soup into soup bowls, top each with two tablespoons or so of sour cream or Greek yogurt, a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds and top with the pie crust croutons. Serve soup hot!