Pumpkin pie gets an extra kick of flavor with Amaretto liqueur and a crunchy topping made with amaretti cookies and almonds.
- Prep Time:
30 mins - Cook Time:
1 hr 15 mins - Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins *
* Plus chilling time.
This pumpkin pie with amaretto-almond streusel topping was voted the family favorite several years ago โฆ maybe โฆ no one is actually 100% sure.
Let me explain.
Several years ago, we had a request for pumpkin pie for dessert at Thanksgiving. Since my husband and I didn’t have a “go to” pumpkin pie recipe at the time, we researched several recipes and found one that we thought would be perfect. Several other family members heard about the request for pumpkin pie and offered their recipes as well. Not knowing which one to make, we decided to make them all (7 total) and have a taste testing. To keep things fair, we decided to stick with traditional pumpkin pie recipes – no extra toppings, sauces or drizzles.
However, we found one recipe with a crunchy topping that sounded too good to pass up. We went ahead and made it but didn’t allow it to be an official entry in the contest. In the end, everyone agreed that the pumpkin pie with the crunchy topping was their favorite even if it couldn’t be voted as the winner.
I was all excited to share that pie recipe with you. The curious problem is that when I asked everyone if this looked like the right recipe, everyone seemed to remember different pies. My mother-in-law thought it had a different topping. My sister-in-law remembered dried apricot in the topping. I distinctly remember the amaretti cookies.
It’s funny how we all have different memories of the exact same pie.
Regardless of everyone’s memories, this recipe is great if you’re looking for a slightly non-traditional Thanksgiving dessert. The crunchy topping made with amaretti cookies and almonds adds flavor and texture to the overall pie.
Amaretti cookies are a crispy Italian cookie flavored with almonds. I was able to find some amaretti cookies at a local specialty grocery store but they are also available via mail order. Amaretto liqueur in the filling adds another punch of almond flavor.
The pie filling is also made without any evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk so you don’t have to worry about any half-used cans of milk lingering in your fridge.
When I served this pie with its wonderfully crunchy streusel topping for dessert last night, everyone agreed it was indeed a very good pumpkin pie.
So, here it is – the maybe-or-maybe-not-family-favorite pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin Pie with Amaretto-Almond Streusel Topping
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pumpkin pie gets an extra kick of flavor with Amaretto liqueur and a crunchy topping made with amaretti cookies and almonds.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cold vegetable shortening
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For the topping
- 20 Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno cookies
- 1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
For the filling
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure solid-pack pumpkin purรฉe
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Disaronno Amaretto liqueur
Instructions
For the crust
- Mix dry ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt, and sugar.
- Cut in butter. Add the butter and shortening, and mix on low until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
- Add water. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over the mixture and mix on low until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful together. If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, ยฝ tablespoon at a time, mixing until just incorporated, then test again.
- Gather together. Gather dough together into a ball, then flatten into a ยฝ-inch thick disk. Wrap dough in plastic and chill, until firm, about 1 hour.
For the topping
- Crumble and mix. Crumble the cookies with your hands into a small bowl. The pieces should be about ยผ-inch chunks. Toss with the almonds; set aside.
Pre-bake the crust
- Prep oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a 9-inch tempered glass pie plate. Trim excess dough, if necessary, leaving a ยฝ-inch overhang, then fold overhang under pastry and press against rim of pie plate to reinforce edge.
- Blind bake. Line the crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Return crust to the oven and bake until the crust just begins to brown, pressing with the back of a fork if the crust bubbles, about 5 minutes longer. Remove crust from oven and set on cooling rack.
- Reduce heat. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling
While the crust is baking, make the filling.ย
- Process pumpkin. Scrape pumpkin purรฉe into a food processor fitted with metal blade attachment. Process 15 seconds; scrape down sides and process 15 seconds more.
- Add. Pulse in brown sugar, spices and salt until combined. Pulse in eggs one at a time until blended, scraping down sides as necessary. Pulse in cream and liqueur. Finish processing for 5 seconds to smooth out the mixture.
- Fill and top. Pour filling into pre-baked crust. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling.
- Bake. Bake pie for 50 to 55 minutes, or until filling is set around edges and quivers in the center when you gently shake the pie dish. Cool on a rack.
Notes
- Cover the topping with aluminum foil if it starts to get too brown during baking.
- The pie is best served the day it is made as the topping will begin to soften after a day.
- Recipe from Unforgettable Desserts via the Houston Chronicle.
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