Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping

Good evening, readers! I know you're thinking "Pumpkin!?!? In January!?" Well, as you may already know,  I love love love pumpkin, so I'm always ready to jump at any opportunity to bake and eat it! So this time, I contributed to a pot luck with this delicious dessert. The friend who was throwing the pot luck suggested I make the pie since she and her fiance could not get enough of it when I made it for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.

I originally got the recipe from a fellow Virginia Beach blogger at How to Eat a Cupcake. It was adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. She used a homemade pie crust in her recipe but I cheated with 2 regular 9" frozen pie crusts, which works just as well. I made 2 pies this way, or you could use one deep dish crust and make one thick pie. But I liked the fact that I could keep one and leave the other at the pot luck.

• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 slightly beaten egg

• 1/4 c canned pumpkin
• 1 c evaporated milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar (I used dark brown)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/2 c chopped pecans 
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened

*Note: I doubled the streusel  topping recipe because I made 2 pies.*

1) In a mixer, beat the first four ingredients on low to medium speed until smooth.

2) I chilled the mixture in the refrigerator fro 30 minutes. (I put mine in a separate bowl so I could reuse my mixer bowl).

 3) Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the pie shell(s)

4) Mix the next 6 ingredients until smooth in a mixer.

5) Carefully pour the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese.

6) Cover the edges of the pie crusts with foil to prevent over-browning (aka burning) then bake for 25 minutes.

7) Remove the foil and bake the pies for another 25 minutes. Meanwhile, I chopped up my pecans and mixed the final 4 ingredients to make the pecan streusel topping.

8) Sprinkle the topping onto the pie(s) and bake for another 10 -15 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center of the pies comes out clean.

And the hard part is having to wait 1 to 2 hours for the pies to cool on a wire rack. But then you get to have this!

Yummy! The perfect complement for this pie would be either fresh-whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I think I'll have a slice right now...

Impromptu French Coconut Pie

I have just been enlisted by my good friend, Violet, to make two delicious coconut pies for a party this evening. Even though I think coconut is the bane of my existence (it's a texture thing [and a flavor thing, now that I think about it...]), I decided to make it for her, since I am the best baker she knows (;-)). I immediately looked up a recipe on foodtv.com and came upon Paula Deen's French Coconut Pie recipe. I liked it because it looked very easy, and you only need one bowl (no Kitchenaid required, even!)

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3 1/2–ounce) can shredded sweetened coconut (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell (regular, not deep-dish)

I doubled the recipe to make two pies, but if you have a super-large bowl like I do, both pie fillings will fit!

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except pie shell, of course).

3) Pour mixture into pie shell and bake 45-60 minutes or until firm.

Yum...?

And that's it! The only thing that takes time is actually waiting for the pies to bake in the oven. If I actually liked coconut, I would've made a third pie for myself, but it definitely looks good... Anybody have any tasty coconut recipes that I could ease myself into?