Description
Milk Bar Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie is a decadent dessert featuring a rich pumpkin ganache layered over a chewy salted caramel in a flaky homemade pie crust, topped with a spiced streusel and fresh whipped cream. The pie combines roasted pumpkin puree with white chocolate and pumpkin spice for a silky ganache, while the salted caramel adds a deep, buttery contrast. This recipe involves baking, roasting, and stovetop caramel-making to create a complex, layered fall treat perfect for holiday gatherings.
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)
- 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 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
- Roast Pumpkin Puree: Spread both cans of pumpkin puree on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 325°F for 20–30 minutes until the puree darkens by two shades and reduces to about 2 cups (500g). Let cool before using.
- Make Pumpkin Ganache: Place white chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl. Bring heavy cream, corn syrup, and butter to a boil in a small pot. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir in roasted pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Blend with an immersion blender or regular blender until silky smooth. Chill ganache; reheat gently before use.
- Prepare Salted Caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine water, white sugar, and corn syrup. Heat over medium while stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture becomes clear and bubbly. Swirl pan gently and brush sides with water to prevent crystallization. When golden, swirl pan often to evenly caramelize; do not burn. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in cold butter one tablespoon at a time, then whisk in cream rapidly, followed by vanilla and salt. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
- Make Pie Crust: Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold cubed butter and toss with hands to coat. Work butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized butter chunks. Chill if butter softens. Mix apple cider vinegar with cold water and add gradually until dough holds together but is crumbly. Form dough into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle, fold like a letter twice, then roll into a circle about two inches larger than pie pan. Transfer to pie tin, crimp edges, chill again.
- Blind Bake Pie Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line crust with foil or parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake 30–35 minutes until edges are lightly golden, tent with foil if browning too fast. Remove weights and prick bottom to prevent ballooning. Bake an additional 15–20 minutes until fully golden. Cool at least 1 hour before adding filling.
- Make Streusel Topping: Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and butter in a medium bowl. Mix with hands until crumbly. Spread on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until golden. Cool and store in airtight container up to one week.
- Prepare Fresh Whipped Cream: When ready to serve, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
- Assemble Pie: Pour room temperature caramel into baked pie crust and refrigerate 20–25 minutes until firm. Spread pumpkin ganache evenly over caramel. Refrigerate covered overnight (minimum 8 hours) until ganache is firm and set. Serve cold topped with fresh whipped cream and streusel.
Notes
- For ease, use store-bought caramel sauce such as Trader Joe’s or Mrs. Richardson’s, or canned dulce de leche for thicker texture.
- Store-bought deep dish pie crusts may be used if short on time; homemade crust preferred for best flavor and texture.
- To reduce sweetness, decrease white chocolate in ganache from 16 ounces to 12 ounces. Ensure pumpkin puree is well roasted to remove moisture for proper pie setting.
- Pie crust dough can be frozen unbaked for up to one month or baked crust refrigerated for several days before filling.
- Ganache and caramel can be made 1–2 days ahead and refrigerated; reheat gently to pourable consistency before assembling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of pie)
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
