Double Crust Pumpkin Chocolate Pie

Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner and what kind of Thanksgiving would it be without a pumpkin pie? A table without this beloved pie is the most blasphemous idea I can think of on such an important day. It comes but once a year and so we need to make sure we do it 100% right. In my family, we started making a pumpkin pie and an apple or peach pie but then we quickly realized that everyone wanted to eat the pumpkin pie, so now we just make two pumpkin pies and call it a day. This year though I’ve had the great idea of making a double crust pumpkin pie with a layer of chocolate because we all know that two crusts are always better than one. You can quote me on that. It’s a great pie that can be made ahead of time, which is great because you’re always going to be very busy on the big day and the last thing you want to be worrying about is making a pie on the day of. The solution: make it ahead of time, chill until ready to eat and then sit back, relax and enjoy the day, as you should. 

Let’s start by making the pie dough, which in my humble opinion is the best part of any pie. I don’t even care what the filling is because the crust is where the party is at. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.

**Note: This is a recipe for a double crust pie, so if you’re making a single crust pie, just cut the recipe in half and you’ll be good to go.**

Add the cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two knifes or your hands until coarse crumbs are formed, about the size of peas (some larger pieces are okay). 

**Note: You want to work as quickly as possible because you want the butter to be as cold as possible. Cold butter means flaky pie dough!**Add in the ice cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. It won’t be a completely smooth dough but rather it’ll be somewhat rough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and bring together to smooth it out as much as possible. Cut in half and then wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

**Tip: You can make the pie dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just allow to sit at room temperature for about half an hour before rolling out. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month, and thaw it out the night before in the fridge.**

While the pie dough chills, let’s make the chocolate layer first. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before stirring in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.For the pumpkin pie layer, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and spices. I’m using a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all-spice, cloves, and cardamom. You can also just use pumpkin pie spice if you have that on hand. 

Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, pumpkin purée, condensed milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, and vanilla until completely smooth. 

Roll out one half of the dough on a well-floured work surface, in a large circle about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a deep dish pie plate, making sure it’s pressed into the plate correctly. 

Pour in the chocolate filling, smoothing it out as evenly as possible. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before pouring in the pumpkin layer. 

**Note: Allowing the chocolate layer to sit for a bit will allow it to set somewhat which will make the pouring of the pumpkin layer a lot easier!**

Carefully and gently pour the pumpkin pie filling over the chocolate layer. You want to pour it as slow as possible so as to not disrupt the chocolate layer too much. 

Roll out the second dough and place over the filling. Tuck the excess top dough under the bottom dough and crimp all around to seal the edges. Make a few small slits on top to allow air to escape while baking and then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. 

Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown, slightly puffed and the center no longer jiggles (a bit jiggly is fine), about 40 to 50 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing or placing in the fridge to chill until ready to slice. I love cold pumpkin pie so I always make it ahead of time so that it has time to chill before eating.

**Tip: Chilling the pie will make it a lot easier to slice the pie in cleaner pieces. So it’s a great dessert to make ahead of time.**

Slice and serve the pie with fresh whipped cream. You can’t have pumpkin pie without whipped cream. What’s the point? I also like to sprinkle the whipped cream with a bit of ground cinnamon just to really hone in on that fall spice flavor.

 
Don’t let the double crust scare you into not making this pie because you won’t be able to see the pumpkin pie filling to see if it’s done, but it’s actually quite simple to do. If you want a classic pie, you can keep it as a single crust and omit the chocolate layer, or you can keep the chocolate layer and lose the top crust BUT double crust is the way to go. 

This is a great pie that deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table. Especially if you’re a lover of pie crust, just as much as I am. The hint of chocolate works so well with the spiced pumpkin pie and the flaky buttery crust on top and the bottom is the stuff that dreams are made of. Don’t forget the fresh whipped cream!

Double Crust Pumpkin Chocolate Pie

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Double Crust Pumpkin Chocolate Pie is the ultimate Thanksgiving Day dessert. Homemade pie crust filled with a layer of chocolate and pumpkin custard!

Author: The Candid Appetite

Serves: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• pinch of sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Chocolate Layer:

• ½ cup butter
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin layer:

• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon all-spice
• ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten
• 2 cups unsweetened pumpkin purée
• ⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• egg wash
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• whipped cream (for serving)

Instructions

1. To make the pie dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the cold butter and cut it in with a pastry blender, two knives or your hands until coarse crumbs form, about the size of peas. Add 6 tablespoons water and stir with a rubber spatula until to comes together to form a rough dough. If you need more water, add a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to smooth it out somewhat. Cut in half and then wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. To make the chocolate layer, combine the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 seconds bursts, stirring after each, until it's completely melted through and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and stir rapidly until well combined. Set aside.
3. To make the pumpkin layer, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and spices until well combined. Add in the eggs, egg yolk, pumpkin purée, condensed milk, cream, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk until completely smooth. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Working with one half of pie dough at a time, roll out on a well-floured work surface to a large circle about ¼-inch thick. Transfer to a deep dish pie plate. Pour in the chocolate layer and smooth out into an even layer. Gently and slowly, pour the pumpkin layer over the chocolate.
6. Roll out the second pie dough in the same manner as the first. Carefully lift from the table and place it over the filling. Fold the edge of the top crust under the bottom crust and press gently and crimp all around to seal. Make a few slits on top and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to bake until the top crust has slightly puffed up and the center no longer jiggles (or just barely does), about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing. You could also chill it to make slicing easier. Enjoy!

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