6-Inch Pumpkin Pie
This 6-Inch Pumpkin Pie with Cranberry Whipped Cream features an all-butter flaky pie crust with a velvety and perfectly spiced pumpkin pie filling. Finish the pumpkin pie with a sweet and tart Cranberry Whipped Cream. A beautiful holiday dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Servings: 1 6-Inch Pie
Equipment
- 6-Inch Pie Dish
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder optional
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup pure canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cranberry Whipped Cream
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- 1/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder optional
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Note -The butter needs to be cold. Before you begin making the dough, cut the butter into cubes and place in the freezer for about 10 to 15minutes ahead of time.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla powder (if using). Add the butter cubes to the flour and press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs (about the size of a nickel) - making sure they are all coated with flour.
- Fill a small liquid measuring cup with ice water - as long as you have at least 1/4 cup of water. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of ice water to the well. Using a fork or spatula, stir the flour around the water, and continue to add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you start to get larger clumps of dough. To check if you have added enough water, grab some of the dough in your hand and squeeze it. If it sticks together without crumbling apart, you have added enough water. If it still crumbles apart, add another tablespoon of water, and check again. Note - The dough is supposed to be rough and not overly moist. Adding too much water will likely result in a tough dough. So will overmixing the dough. Work the dough gently when mixing in the water.
- Note - Weather and humidity can impact how much water you need to bring the dough together. You may find you need more water than the recipe states.
- Pour the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball, then flatten into a small disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I recommend making the Cranberry Whipped Cream next to give it time to chill and set up.
Cranberry Whipped Cream
- In a small saucepan, add the cranberries and a splash of water. Heat over medium heat until the cranberries start to burst, and you are able to smash them with a spatula into a jam-like consistency - about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- In a small bowl, add the lemon juice and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. The gelatin needs to bloom and set for about 5 minutes. Note - The gelatin will stabilize the whipped cream even more and is a great option if you want to make the pie ahead of time. Otherwise, the gelatin is completely optional.
- Add the set gelatin (if using) to the warm cranberry compote and stir until it is completely mixed in.
- Strain the cranberry jam through a fine mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Note - Because of the amount of cranberry, I use a small hand held strainer. Be sure to scrape the underside of the strainer to get all of the cranberry jam - which should be about 2 tablespoons. Allow the cranberry jam to cool in the refrigerator for a few minutes before adding it to the whipped cream.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the heavy cream. Using a hand held mixer fitted with the whisk attachments, beat the cream on medium high until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cranberry jam. Continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Blind Bake (Pre Bake) The Pie Crust - Remove the cooled dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Lightly flour your work surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a 9-inch circle. This will give us enough dough to sit snuggly into the pan and for a designed crimp edge. Tip - To roll the dough evenly, roll and slightly rotate the dough after each roll.
- Trim off any jagged edges, then gently place the dough into the center of the pie dish, making sure it sits snug on the bottom and corners of the dish. Fold over the dough overhang so you still have about a 1/2 inch tall lip of pie dough sticking out of the pie dish. Crimp the edges in any method you prefer. King Arthur Flour has a great video for ideas!
- Use a fork to poke holes into the bottom of the pie dough. This will help the dough from puffing up while it is baking. Place the formed pie crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. By this time, your oven should be heated.
- Weigh down your chilled pie crust before blind baking it to keep the dough from puffing up and shrinking too much. Some pie weight options: pie weights, a small oven safe dish that fits inside the pie dish (like a ramekin), uncooked rice, or dry beans. With any method, place a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit inside the pie crust, then add your weight.
- Pre-bake the pie crust for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn lightly golden. While the crust is pre-baking, make the Pumpkin Pie Filling.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg. Add the pumpkin, cream, maple syrup, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk until all of the ingredients are combined and the filling is smooth.
- Once the pie crust is done pre-baking, reduce the oven heat to 375F degrees.
- Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust (there is no need to cool the baked crust before filling it because it is going right back into the oven) and bake the pie for 25 to 35 minutes until the filling is set. The filling should still be soft and have a slight jiggle, but a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. Note - If the crust starts to brown too quickly, cover the edges with small pieces of folded aluminum foil.
- Turn the oven off and prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Allow the pie to cool in the oven as the oven cools down. This will help avoid cracks in the pie filling. Note - If you are not concerned with cracks in the pie, remove the pie from the oven when it is done baking and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- When ready to serve, dollop the Cranberry Whipped Cream on top of the cooled pie, and Enjoy!