Fall is here, and with the shorter days I have more time indoors to experiment and create new dishes for my family and guest ranch friends. This past week I was in the mood for pumpkin pie and could not wait for Thanksgiving. I had baked a batch of Doug’s favorite Molasses cookies for his guided fly fishing trips, and had the thought that they would taste amazing with pumpkin custard. So¦I put the two together for dinner that night and it was such a hit with our guests, I thought I would share it with all of my friends and guests who have purchased my cookbook thru the years. It’s pretty basic but boy is it yummy!
Start by baking a single batch of Molasses Cookies from my cookbook “Ranch Cooking ” Simply Good”. If you want to take a short cut you could buy ginger snap cookies from the store but it won’t be quite the same. Take 6 of the cookies and chop them in your food processor until they are at medium crumbs. Don’t turn them to powder! Melt 2 Tbsp. butter and stir into the crumbs. Set this aside.
Make one single pie crust from , “Ranch Cooking ” Simply Good”. Be sure to use a deep dish pie pan. Once your pie crust is rolled out and shaped in your pan, spread molasses cookie crumbs evenly over the bottom and press them firmly to keep from being displaced when you pour the pumpkin custard into the pan.
Make your favorite pumpkin pie filling, I love the basic recipe on the back of a can of Libby’s Pumpkin. Gently pour the filling over the molasses cookie layer. Bake the pie until the filling is set.
Final touches: beat heavy cream with brown sugar and vanilla to taste. Cut the pie in wedges. Top with a generous dollop of cream and with a pie wedge shape of a molasses cookie or a few bits of crystalized ginger. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgivng! Heidi