Description
Milk Bar Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie is a decadent dessert combining roasted pumpkin ganache, chewy salted caramel, and a buttery homemade pie crust topped with a crunchy streusel and fresh whipped cream. This pie offers layers of vibrant fall flavors with a smooth, creamy texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness, making it an irresistible treat for pumpkin lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Ganache:
- 2 (15-ounce) cans Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling or mix)
- 1 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/3 cup Corn Syrup (scant)
- 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 12 to 16 ounces White Chocolate (2 to 2 1/2 cups high-quality white chocolate)
- 3 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Chewy Salted Caramel:
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Salt (up to 2 teaspoons salt to taste)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Pie Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup Fine Ground Cornmeal
- 1 Tablespoon White Sugar (heaping)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup Ice Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup Rolled Oats
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
- Pinch of Salt
Fresh Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Make Pumpkin Ganache: Spread both cans of pumpkin puree on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 325°F for 20–30 minutes until reduced to about 2 cups and darkened in color. Let cool. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream, corn syrup, and butter in a small pot to boiling, then pour over the white chocolate. Let sit 1 minute. Add roasted pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Blend with immersion blender or regular blender until smooth and silky. Store in fridge and reheat gently before use.
- Prepare Salted Caramel: Keep heavy cream and butter cold. In a medium saucepan, mix water, white sugar, and corn syrup, hydrate sugar and heat over medium until clear and bubbling. Swirl pan without stirring once bubbling. When golden, remove from heat. Gradually whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time, then stream in cream, add vanilla and salt, whisk to combine. Cool to room temp, then refrigerate until chilled. Reheat gently before use.
- Make Pie Crust: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter cut into tablespoons and toss until butter is coated. Break butter into coarse pea-sized pieces. Mix apple cider vinegar and ice water, add one tablespoon at a time until dough holds when pressed but is crumbly. Form into disc, wrap, chill 30 minutes. Roll out dough to a circle two inches wider than pie tin. Transfer dough to pie tin, fold excess under and crimp edges. Chill again. Preheat oven to 350°F. Blind bake pie crust with weights for 30–35 minutes, tent edges if browning too fast. Remove weights, prick bottom, bake 15–20 minutes more until golden. Cool at least 1 hour before filling.
- Prepare Streusel: Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and butter in a bowl. Massage with hands to form loose crumbs with no dry spots. Spread on parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until golden brown. Store airtight at room temperature up to a week.
- Fresh Whipped Cream: Just before serving, whip heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
- Assemble Pie: Pour room temperature caramel into cooled pie crust, spread evenly and chill 20–25 minutes to firm. Pour pumpkin ganache over chilled caramel and spread quickly to cover. Refrigerate pie covered overnight (minimum 8 hours) until ganache is firm. Serve cold topped with whipped cream and streusel. Store leftovers refrigerated.
Notes
- For convenience, use store-bought caramel sauce such as Trader Joe’s or Mrs. Richardson’s, or canned dulce de leche for a thicker option.
- You can use store-bought deep dish pie crust if short on time, but homemade crust is preferred.
- To reduce sweetness, decrease white chocolate in ganache from 16 ounces to 12 ounces. Ensure pumpkin puree is well roasted to remove moisture so pie sets properly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10th pie)
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 17g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 90mg