Pumpkin Cheese Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Luscious, creamy pumpkin cheese pie with a spiced gingersnap crust is the perfect finish to any autumn harvest feast!

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The coming of fall signals the start of pumpkin season, and no harvest feast is complete without the quintessential pumpkin pie! The feast at the Van Tassel farm in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow certainly includes this autumn favourite. With a spiced gingersnap crust, this pumpkin cheese pie is the perfect modern twist on the traditional classic.

After indulging in all of the delicacies at the Van Tassel feast Ichabod Crane tragically comes face to face with the mysterious Headless Horseman. Unfortunately for Ichabod, all that was left after his run-in with the Hessian rider was a shattered pumpkin. After such a fright it wouldn’t be surprising if the bumbling Ichabod disavows all things pumpkin ever after. Perhaps this decadent pumpkin cheese pie with gingersnap crust is enticing enough to tempt even the most frightened Ichabod Crane.

A family tradition

When planning out the menu for our Sleepy Hollow Dinner Party, this pumpkin cheese pie was the first item to go on the list. Pumpkin cheese pie with gingersnap crust is an annual tradition in my family and we have been enjoying it on Thanksgiving for most of my life. In fact, my mom has been making this pie as far back as I can remember and growing up it was the only version of pumpkin pie that I knew. Over time the recipe has evolved as I have made my own adaptations. One taste of this fabulously rich and spiced pumpkin cheese pie and I’m sure it will become a family favourite of yours as well!

Ingredient Notes

Pumpkin purée: Canned pumpkin purée is easy to use and readily available. However, you could use fresh cooked pumpkin purée if you prefer.

Gingersnaps: A spicy gingersnap crust adds even more flavour and contrast to this pie. Use any kind of crunchy ginger spice cookie that you prefer.

Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds a luscious, creamy richness to this pumpkin pie.

Spices: It isn’t a pumpkin pie without fall spices! This recipe calls for ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Orange zest: A hint of fresh orange zest adds another dimension of flavour in this dessert.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie

Make the gingersnap crust

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Lightly spray a 9″ pie plate with non-stick spray and set aside. Break the gingersnap cookies into a food processor. Blend the gingersnaps until fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together. Press the gingersnap crumb mixture into the pie plate.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make the filling.

Make the pumpkin cheese filling

In a food processor add the pumpkin purée, softened cream cheese, brown sugar, eggs, flour, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Blend the ingredients together until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. Once the filling is fully blended, transfer to a medium saucepan.

Place the saucepan over medium low heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes while stirring constantly until the filling begins to thicken. If possible use a heat resistant spatula to continually stir and scrape the filling from the bottom of the pan. When you begin to see the filling start to thicken and clump together, immediately pour it into the crust.

Bake the pie

Bake the pumpkin cheese pie at 350 deg F for 20 minutes. Check that the pie is set. It should jiggle only slightly in the middle. If the filling is very jiggly continue to bake for another couple of minutes. Remove the pie and let cool on a rack. Once cooled, transfer the pie to the fridge to chill.

Serve the Pumpkin Cheese Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Prepare whipped cream to serve. Add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Whip the cream on high speed until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and continue beating until the whipped cream has stiff peaks.

If desired, you can pipe the whipped cream onto the pie and serve the extra on the side. To create the design pictured here, I used a #883 St Honore pastry tip. Otherwise, spoon the whipped cream on each slice. Enjoy!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast

Check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast master post for more Sleepy Hollow inspired recipes in this series!

• Toffee Apple Pie with Vanilla Custard
• Cider-Brined Roast Chicken
• Katrina Van Tassel’s Spiced Apricot Cocktail