And I’m back!
I can’t believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone, but I savored every moment and have thoroughly enjoyed returning to work and seeing the kiddos. Also, with Thanksgiving as a day in the past, my family has fully transitioned into the next holiday season. Christmas music gently plays in the background as we go about our daily activities. Our weekend evenings have been filled with curling up on the couch with some peppermint bark and watching old Christmas films (we’ve checked off Miracle on 34th Street and Home Alone 2).
Our tree has been freshly chopped, strung with lights, and adorned with a variety of ornaments. Although my mom would have preferred that we stuck to a themed tree to make it ‘classier’, my sister and our friends decided on decorating the tree with whatever we found in our ornament collection. How about all of you? Are you guys ready for the December holiday season yet?
December is seriously my favorite time of the year. Probably because it’s laced with so many fond childhood memories of my cousins and I gathering at my grandparents’ home in L.A. It’s the time of year that’s filled with snuggles, warm drinks, smiling faces, twinkling lights, and so much hope. The time of year where people seem to be kinder to others and family members make time for one another.
And speaking of family gatherings, today I am sharing my pumpkin pie recipe with you all. I used it during my ‘Friendsgiving’ dinner. Since the holiday season is just around the corner (basically already arrived), this pie recipe can be used for more family or friend dinners!
I’ll begin by saying that my family hasn’t necessarily enjoyed the fact that I’ve been spending so much time in the kitchen. It’s not because my food is terrible or that they want me to make some room on the stove for their cooking. No, it’s because when I enter the kitchen, it is as if a torrential storm has blown in after me.
They are so used to my mother, who is the neatest cook in existence. She takes out ingredients and supplies, uses them, and then places them in their correct homes before continuing with her cooking. She is efficient, methodical, and doesn’t need to measure out her ingredients to make her dishes taste phenomenal. Not a drop of liquid or sprinkle of salt lands on the counter. As a cook, I am, to my family’s chagrin, nothing like her.
As I whirl around the kitchen as a short attention spanned frenzied chef, trying to decide on what step is next, I leave a trailing mess behind me. Flour dusts countertops. Cutting boards are spread in various ends of the kitchen. Forgotten utensils lie beside dirty bowls. Knives and spices and pots and pans litter the counter space. When I cook, it can look like a disaster is about to ensue. And even though there have been many times when my recipes being tested did result in quite the debacle, this recipe, my friends, was not one of those.
Talk about the perfect balance of creamy, sweet, pumpkin-y, and cinnamon-y with a full blast of healthy vitamins.
Okay, I will have to confess that although I made the nutritious and delicious pumpkin filling, I did not bake the pie crust from scratch. After 2 failed crust recipes, I really didn’t feel like risking another batch. I also really wanted to try out the oreo crust, which, by the way, went very well. For this recipe you can make your own crust or just buy a store bought one.
- 1 cup date puree
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 c pumpkin puree or 1 12 ounce can.
- 1 12 ounce can of coconut milk
- 1¾ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- pie crust of your choice
- Preheat the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Follow directions on how to make the pie crust crispy. For the oreo crust, I just brushed it with some oil and baked it for 5-8 minutes without the filling.
- In a large mixer, combine the date puree, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, pumpkin pie spice, and cornstarch until everything has been evenly mixed.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and then bake in the oven for 40-60 minutes (until the pumpkin filling is set).
- Let it cool and then serve it with some whipped cream!
Yeah, so I’ve pretty much polished off the last slice last night right before I dove into report card work. Did it taste yummy as a leftover? You bet it did! I enjoyed each bite as I stared at the twinkling lights on my tree. What a holiday treat!
And I guiltily admit that I topped the slice with some whipped cream just because I could. Last little treat before I get back to the grind of training and working. I hope your Thanksgiving break was filled with loved ones and things you loved. I also hope that the beginning of your week is going well. Tomorrow is hump day!
This may be the only post for this week as I am supremely behind on finishing report cards and lesson planning. Sigh, it’s the poor time management of a teacher. I somehow allowed the fact that the report cards are due this week and that my week after school is filled with meetings and trainings to slip my mind. Imagine the rude awakening I got this Monday. Yeah, not fun.
Anyways, until hopefully Friday or Saturday, see ya! Stay happy, healthy, and warm y’all!
Note: For this recipe and for most of the ones where I’m baking, I use this Kitchen Aid 
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I’m the first one? Yay!!!! Thanks for posting this recipe Hayley!!!
I was super scared trying this recipe since it doesn’t have any reviews, but I’m glad I did! I tried it twice so far (both times I did double batches). Both times used fresh pumpkin (steamed and then took the skin off), and used date sugar instead of date puree. Only difference is one batch had SO Delicious’s culinary coconut milk, and the other batch had Let’s Do… Organic’s Organic Creamed Coconut. Both batches (4 pies total) were DELICIOUS and between two people, didn’t last 2 days 🙁 Gave some (read very, very little) to in laws and 1 close friend, and both found it delicious.
The only change I did was I added vanilla extract to both batches. Made it yummier.
Yay! It makes me so happy to see that you made it multiple times and liked it! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and being the first to share how the recipe went for you. You’ve made my day! I’m going to have use fresh pumpkins, though. It sounds like that worked out really well for you!