Friday Pie-Day: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

The three classic pies for September, October, and November are apple, pumpkin, and pecan (which, by the way, have all been made by me before). This year, to welcome the autumn months, I made a pie that combined them all!

Because here in the land where “a cold front” is 80 degrees and leaves don’t turn red or yellow unless they’re painted, we have to work a little harder to get in the autumn mood.

Which is not to say that this pie was difficult to make. The preparation process was rather simple, in fact. (Probably because I used a can of pumpkin instead of gutting my own. And because I bought a jar of apple butter instead of stewing my own. And because we own an awesome nut chopper that meant I didn’t have to break apart each pecan by hand.)

But on to the recipe! Here are the 2 main ingredients. The pumpkin didn’t spread out as much, but I assure you they are equal. Next time, though, I might experiment with adding more apple butter because (1) The pumpkin flavor overpowered the apple flavor a little, (2) Our pie dish was deep and could have held more filling, and (3) We can always use a little more apple butter in our lives.

Next, the spices.

Then the eggs.

Mixing it all together looked a little yucky at first…

…But it quickly turned into a fragrant beautiful concoction.

The last filling ingredient was evaporated milk. Oh, this pie is going to be good!

In fact, why not double the recipe below and make 2 pies? That way you won’t have to worry about using up the remaining half a can of pumpkin and evaporated milk.

I added in a little dash of cloves at the end too, just to make things a little spicier.

I hope you already made your pie crust, because now it’s time to pour the filling inside! Then pop it in the oven. The original recipe recommended 375 degrees, but ours got a little burnt, so in the recipe below I adjusted to 350. (Also, we used a pie shield around the edges to prevent burning, but foil works as well.)

While that’s baking for an hour, you have plenty of time to make your streusel topping. Begin with flour and brown sugar as a base.

Cut in some butter. (I let the butter sit out during my whole pie-making process to get to room temperature.)

And combine it all with a fork until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the chopped up pecans, and then when the pie comes out of the oven, top it with the streusel. (And yes, I'm wearing pumpkin pie earrings.)

The pie then returns to the oven for another few minutes, and when it emerges, it is the essence of autumn!

The pecans provided a pleasantly crunchy alterego to the rich, smooth filling. The taste was phenomenal!

The only thing that would have made it better was apple cider to go along with it. You’ve been advised.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie (recipe from Tidy Mom)

1 (9-inch) pie crust (half of this recipe)

1 cup pumpkin

1 cup apple butter

¼ cup dark brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cloves, optional

¼ tsp. salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

STREUSEL TOPPING:

3 T. butter

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare pie crust.
2. In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients (in the order listed).
3. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. While the pie is baking, make streusel topping: combine brown sugar and flour, then cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans.
5. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle streusel over filling.
6. Return the pie to the oven, cover crust edges with foil, and bake an additional15 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour, before serving.