Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie + 2 Confessions

I have two confessions.

Confession #1:

I bought a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes, I actually purchased a store-made pie.

For Thanksgiving dinner, no less.

It's kind of against everything I was ever taught growing up.

See, my mom is a homemaker icon, not to mention pie contest winner,

my dad would give anything for an extra piece of her famous Strueberry Pie...

and I also have a few younger brothers who have probably made more piecrusts than I have.

I'm lucky they didn't disown me.

But let me explain myself here...

Honestly, I'm not really a pumpkin pie lover.  I just eat it out of tradition.

 Plus, this year I was also making

rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce,

while simultaneously doing the zombie shuffle in my kitchen due to a baby with recurring ear infections (& subsequent night wakings),

So I threw in the towel and 

Bought. A. Pumpkin. Pie.

Don't get me wrong, I loved making all those Thanksgiving dishes...I just didn't have the stamina for a pie too.

I did, however, make this pumpkin chocolate cheesecake pie a week before Thanksgiving for a potluck.

If you're a non-pumpkin-pie-lover like I am, 

OR if you just want something a little more fancy-shmancy than an old pumpkin pie,
you should make this.

Homemade pie crust,

cream cheese layer on bottom,

chocolate in the middle,

and a pumpkin layer on top....

"mmm" is all I have to say.

Confession #2?

Maybe I do like pumpkin pie, after all.  

That is, as long as you throw in some cream cheese and chocolate.  :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

From bhg.com

8 servings

1 deep dish pie crust (I used this one)

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half

chopped chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Prepare and roll out deep dish pie crust and lay in a 9 1/2 to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.  Trim the edge of the dough and flute it high.  Line the crust with double thickness of foil and bake 8 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until golden, about 6 more min.  Let cool and reduce oven temp to 375.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 egg until smooth.  Spread onto cooled pie crust shell and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

In a clean bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice.  Add 4 eggs and gradually stir in half-and-half.  Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over chopped chocolate layer.  Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent from becoming too brown.  Bake 60-65 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove foil and let cool.  Cover and chill within two hours (let chill overnight for best flavor).  Garnish with additional chopped chocolate before serving.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin pie spice, 

for me,

is probably a once or twice a year necessity.

So it's not something I always keep on hand or like to spend precious dollars on,

and just for a measly little container of it too.

But recently, finding myself in need of it, and finding my little container smelling
not-so-pumpkin-y anymore, 

(it had been expired for over a year...or two),

I decided to make my own.

It was a tad overwhelming with how many different versions google dug up, 

but this one looked the best to me

mostly because I loooove cinnamon

and the ratio just kinda seemed right.

I guess there's no way to really know if it's good unless you bake somethin' up with it

and taste it.

Which is exactly what I did.

And it passed with flying colors.

And that will be my next post.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

From Joy the Baker

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground is best)

big pinch of cardamom (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  Use in any recipe calling for pumpkin pie spice.