Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust
A custard pie in a spiced cookie-crumb shell, baked just until the center still holds a slow wobble.
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Written
Method
-
Heat the oven to 350°F.
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Stir the crushed gingersnaps, melted butter, and brown sugar until every crumb is damp, then press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate, up the sides and across the bottom.
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Bake the crust until it smells toasted and holds its shape when pressed, about 10 minutes, then cool slightly.
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Whisk the pumpkin purée, cream, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt until fully smooth.
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Pour the filling into the warm crust.
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Bake until the edges are set and puffed but the center still jiggles like loose gelatin when the pan is nudged, 40 to 45 minutes.
-
Cool on a rack to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered at least 3 hours, until fully set.
Notes
The crust bakes first and alone — a raw gingersnap shell under a wet custard turns soggy before the filling ever sets, and the ten-minute head start is what keeps it crisp underneath.
Pull the pie while the center still moves as a single slow wave, not ripples — it firms up entirely in the fridge, and a center baked solid in the oven is already headed for cracks. Canned pumpkin purée works better here than fresh-roasted squash, which carries too much water and thins the set.