Grandma’s Recipe Box Series.  For more about grandma’s recipes read my post here.

I looked forward to a slice (or two) of this pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It has just the right mix of spices, and that perfect pumpkin pie texture.

Ingredients

• Pie Crust
  • 2 Cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 Cup Crisco shortening (#employee)
  • 4-8 Tbsp cold water
• Pie Filling
  • 3 eggs
  • 15 oz can of pumpkin
  • 3/4 Cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice so I substituted 1/4 tsp ground clove and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.  Worked great)

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1. To make the crust, put the flour, salt and Crisco in a large bowl.  Use a pastry mixer or large fork to cut in the shortening (fancy kitchen speak for mixing the flour with the shortening).  If this is your first pie crust, check out the Crisco instructional video here.
   
2. Add the water 1 Tbsp at a time while gently stirring the mixture.  Add just enough water so that the dough holds together, but just barely.  You don’t want it too wet. 
3. Divide the dough in half and form into balls.  Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.  This step is key for a flexible crust that rolls out perfectly.
   
4. After resting, roll out one of the balls to form the crust.  You want it to be a little larger in diameter than your pie pan.  I use a silicone mat for this as the crust can become fragile when rolled out.  Once the diameter of the crust is around 5 inches I put a piece of wax paper over the dough and continue rolling it out.  When the crust is the right size, I flip over the mat and peel it off, leaving the crust on the wax paper.  That makes it easier to position the crust in the pie plate.  Then just peel the paper off and seat the crust in the pie plate. (If you are only making one pumpkin pie and want a great recipe for the other crust, check out my pecan pie post here)

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1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl.
3. Add pumpkin, sugar and spices.  Mix well with a whisk.
4. Pour into prepared pie crust.
5. Place pie into 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  I place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
6. After 15 min at 425, turn down oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes.  Pie is done when a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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