Acorn Squash Pie

Pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, pecan pie…there’s endless options for Thanksgiving pie. Just when you don’t need yet another option, I present you with Acorn Squash Pie. And topped with bourbon cinnamon pecans! From the flaky crust, to the creamy custard spiced acorn squash, to the crunchy roasted pecans, this is a Thanksgiving show-stopper dessert!

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving pie dessert? At my family’s Thanksgiving we ALWAYS need a pumpkin pie. We usually have one or two other desserts, but no one ever forgets to make a pumpkin pie! Except one year when my aunt forgot the put the sugar in the pumpkin pie. Oops! At least she was watching out for our health…

This acorn squash pie is similar to a pumpkin pie, except it’s a bit lighter tasting. Since we’re roasting our own acorn squash (instead of using something canned), it adds a warmer toasted flavor. It’s a bit hard to explain, you just have to make it to find out!

I looove the crunch the pecans add to this pie. I’ve never been a huge fan of pumpkin-type pies because of the lack of chocolate and lack of crunch. Sure the crust is crunchy, but they’ve always fallen short for me. Adding the pecans fixes that! It doesn’t fix the chocolate, but I’m okay with not having a chocolate dessert this time! You could always make chocolate whipped cream to go on top!

It might seem like a waste of time to puree the acorn squash, but it’s a necessary step! It takes all the stringy pulp texture out and turns it into a silky smooth squash.
I know most the time I say to just use regular canned squash, but this time I really think you should take the time to roast the squash! It’s really not hard at all. You just put some spices on the squash, toss it in the oven, and let it roast away. Plus, from the roasting of the squash, cooking the pecans, and baking the pie your house will smell amazing! Forget fall scented candles, this pie is the only scent you need!

Acorn Squash Pie

From north coast eats at https://northcoasteats.com/acorn-squash-pie/

https://northcoasteats.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/acorn.squash.pie-0069.jpg

Yield: makes one 9 inch pie

Creamy spiced acorn squash is the filling for this fall pie! Topped with cinnamon bourbon pecans.

You'll Need...

Crust:
Store bought crust
OR
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, thinly sliced in cubes
2 tablespoons cold water
Acorn Squash:
1 medium acorn squash, sliced in half & seeds removed
Drizzle of honey, about 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pie Filling:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup whole milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Bourbon Pecans:
1 cup raw pecans
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon bourbon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dough ingredients together until dough forms, Adding more flour or water if dough becomes too sticky or too dry. Roll dough our and place in a pie pan. Blind bake pie crust for about 20 minutes until no longer doughy.
Roast the acorn squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the squash on sheet. Drizzle honey and all the spices evenly between the halves of squash. Roast 40 minutes, until fork tender. When cool, remove squash from skin.
Make the pie: Puree the roasted squash, both sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add to a bowl and whisk the remaining pie ingredients. Pour mixture into pie pan. Bake 40 minutes, until pie is puffy but still jiggly in the middle.
Roast the pecans: (this can be roasted while the pie is cooking!) In a small bowl mix all pecans ingredients. Spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast for 6 - 10 minutes, stirring once and making sure they don’t burn!
Finish: Once the pie has cooled for 30 minutes, decorate with pecans. I recommend cooling the pie for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour.