Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pie; the wait is over. It’s that time of year that Starbucks starts serving pumpkin spice lattes to thousands of pumpkin-coffee-loving souls. Hence, my thoughts kept wandering to ‘why have I not made this into a pie?’
There’s no cream cheese or mascarpone as it would compete with the espresso. Oh, but it is very creamy. The pumpkin latte filling is made with vanilla cook & serve pudding mix (not the instant). This stabilizes the pumpkin and makes for a beautiful creamy base for the whipped cream. My Creamy Eggnog Pie (one you should try) is made with the process.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pie is made with creamy pumpkin, a healthy dose of espresso, pumpkin pie spice, whipped cream and a crispy gingersnap crust. It’s that simple, but getting the ratio was tricky. Thank heavens for family and coffee-loving friends who were willing to participate in a myriad of taste tests. About 40% were team light espresso and 60% team dark espresso. Those who enjoy a lot of extra milk in their lattes should go with the light version. Those who enjoy black coffee go with the dark version. Everything you need to know is in the recipe below.
Included in the recipe also is a substitute for coffee; as I know there are many who do not drink coffee, but love the flavor. I’ve got you. Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pies for all!
Place the pumpkin, pudding mix, spices, espresso and milk into a pan and cook the filling on the stove top. It will transform into to a gorgeous dark umber color. Refrigerate the filling until completely cooled for 4 to 6 hours.
Cool the filling is completely and then whip the whipping cream, powder sugar, and vanilla until very stiff peaks. Fold the whole mess together, add some extra whipped cream, and you’ve got the very best Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pie on the freaking planet. I promise!
Thus, wouldn’t it be the best day if the biggest decision was to indulge in a slice of Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pie or sip its counterpart? Not only is that the kind of day we all need, we deserve it. So, grab a slice of latte, find your quiet space, and enjoy.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Pie
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Latte Filling
- 1 large box vanilla cook & serve pudding mix (4.6 ounce)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tablespoons instant espresso (or 1/2 cup Pero coffee substitute) (For lighter espresso flavor use 4 tablespoons instant espresso or 1/3 cup Pero coffee substitute)
- 1-1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (this is whipped separately to add to filling)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for whipped cream in filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gingersnap Crumb Crust
- 1-1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl, use a fork and mix the cookie crumbs and the melted butter thoroughly.
- Press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake for 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before adding filling.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Filling
- In medium sized saucepan, combine pudding mix, pumpkin, milk, pumpkin pie spice and instant espresso.
- Cook and stir constantly with a whisk over medium heat until very thick and bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, pour into bowl and place plastic wrap directly on filling and refrigerate until fully cool (about 4 hours).
- After the filling is completely cooled, whip the heavy cream in a mixer on high speed until very stiff peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream, chill for an additional 4 hours.
- Garnish with whipped cream & extra dusting of pumpkin pie spice or gingersnap crumbs.
Do you think the texture would be close enough if I used cool whip instead of whipping my own whipped cream?
Yes, just don’t over mix the cool whip into the filling!