Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie is the perfect combination of light and boozy, sweet and salty. A store-bought crust makes this recipe practically effortless.
It’s 6 a.m. and I am eating Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie. It’s not out of the ordinary for me to be eating dessert at this hour. There’s nothing that goes better with a cup of black coffee than something sweet. But the rum! My pie is boozy. Can I eat the entire pie and then skip work? I might be self-sabotaging my work day. And if I’m going to self-sabotage, Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie is the way I want to do it.
Listen. It took me four pies – four! – to get this recipe right. And here is why: I listened to the How I Built This podcast with Christina Tosi. She’s my idol. I fangirl something serious for Christy. Can I call her that? I mean, we’re practically besties. And by practically, I mean that if we ever met, I’m sure she would love me. Anyway. Christy is known for her famous Milk Bar Crack Pie. And as I listened to the podcast, I thought, I want to eat Crack Pie, I think I’ll make one.
And then because pretty much every time I make something, I try to also spin it into something new and different for you, friends, I thought, Wonder if anyone’s ever done a Pumpkin Crack Pie, I think I will. So here is what happened:
- Attempt 1: October 22, 2019. Made Pumpkin Crack Pie, used store-bought crust. It was excellent, but it needed something extra.
- Attempt 2: November 2, 2019. Intended to make Pumpkin Crack Pie with a crust made from pecans and with the addition of rum, but failed. The crust fell in on itself and I also didn’t have any rum in the house.
- Attempt 3: November 2, 2019. I ran out to the Walgreens and bought rum for Rum Pumpkin Crack Pie. I used a store-bought crust and topped it with leftover bits of pecan crust. Taste was excellent. Pictures were poor.
- Attempt 4: November 10, 2019. I made Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie. On purpose.
I still want to make a Pumpkin Crack Pie with Pecan Crust, but maybe next year. This will do for now.
[Insert storyline break here as I go back for pie slice #2. It’s now 6:25 a.m. I’m not sure if I can justify eating two slices of boozy pie before the sun fully comes up, but who do I have to justify myself to anyway?]
I just can’t decide if I like the pie most when it’s warm or chilled. That’s why I need two slices this morning. Either way, the pumpkin filling is light and boozy. The praline topping is crispy and salty and spicy, a perfect complement. And the crust. Oh, the crust. Did I do a great job on that store-bought crust or what? I slightly overbaked it and it’s splitting into layers. This is perfect in my book. The inner layers are soft like dough and the outer layers are flaky. The crust overhang (technical term that I just made up) has a toasty, malty flavor.
I’m so happy you guys are on the other side of the screen because I just lifted the plate to my mouth and pushed all the crumbs in with the back of my fork. And that is the sign of a damn good Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie.
Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie
Rum Pumpkin Praline Pie is the perfect combination of light and boozy, sweet and salty. A store-bought crust makes this recipe practically effortless.
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated pie crust
For the pumpkin filling:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 7 1/2 ounces canned pure pumpkin
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs beaten
For the praline topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional:
- powdered sugar
- flaked salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring the pie crust to room temperature. When it’s easy to work with, line a pie pan with the dough and set aside.
To prepare the pumpkin filling:
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In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in pumpkin and remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Whisk in rum and vanilla. Add eggs and whisk until mixture is combined. Pour into pie pan and bake 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the praline topping:
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Place butter in a food processor and process until smooth. Add pecans, brown sugar, nutmeg and salt and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
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Remove pie from oven and sprinkle evenly with praline topping. Return pie to oven and back an additional 15-20 minutes until the middle of the pie is almost set. The filling will continue to cook as it cools. If the middle of the pie puffs up, it is a sign that you are overcooking it—remove from oven, it will still turn out great!
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Cool completely. If desired, sift powdered sugar over the top or sprinkle with flaked salt prior to serving.
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