Instructions

Prepping the crust

1. Preheat your oven to 375. Whether you are choosing to make a homemade crust or store-bought crust you will want to prebake your crust. This is called blind baking.
2. Follow your pie crust instructions to make the dough and roll it out. Center the pie crust in the pie pan. Trim the crust with a sharp scissor if it has excess dough hanging over the edge. Crimp the edges using your fingers, trying to maintain consistency in size. I found it easier to crimp it around a pen as it was a hard surface and keep the size of each crimp the same.
3. Gently apply an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk beaten together) onto the top edges of the crust to give it a golden brown look after baking. Avoid getting the mixture onto the base of the pie crust.
4. Place a layer of parchment paper onto the base of the pie crust and fill up the pie crust with pie weights, dried beans or rice to prevent the crust from bubbling or slumping during the prebake.
5. Prebake the pie crust filled with the pie weights (or alternative) for 10 minutes.

Filling

While baking the crust you can assemble the filling.

1. In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer, stand mixer or whisk, to combine the pumpkin, three eggs and brown sugar until well combined. Add cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, cloves black pepper, heavy cream, and milk, mix together until well combined.
2. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper from the pie crust. Pour the pie filling into the prebaked pie crust. Fill it about 3/4 full. There will be a lot of extra filling remaining.

Baking

1. Bake the pie for 25 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and apply strips of aluminum foil around the top edges of the pie crust to prevent it from burning. You want the crust to brown, but not become overdone. Bake for another 35 minutes, and then check every minute or two until the center is almost set.
2. Remove from oven and set on a baking rack to cool. Let cool for at least 3 hours to allow it to set before cutting.

Whipped Cream

1. Add whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer and mix it at low speed.
2. After ingredients are thoroughly combined bring the speed to medium/medium-high until stiff peaks start to form. When you lift the beater out of the whipped cream mounds will form at the top from dropping off of the beater and will stay suspended rather than falling back into a puddle.
3. Dollop the whipped cream onto your slice of easy homemade pumpkin pie.