"The Best Pumpkin Pie You Ever Made!"

That is what my husband said after he ate a piece of the pie I made from our fresh pumpkin. When someone pays you a compliment like that you just have to write down the recipe and make it your new favorite! This is how it all started:

For our fall feast this year, I found myself running short on eggs while at the same time wanting a delicious pumpkin pie for dessert. What to do? Experiment as usual! I figured that I have used chia seeds for so many other recipes as an egg substitute, why not try it for pumpkin pie? Worst case scenario, we would be eating the pie as custard with a spoon instead of as pie with a fork. Either way, it would be a win.

Using my traditional recipe, I decided my best idea might be to try something similar to a pumpkin chia seed pudding, baked in a pie shell. I whipped up my whole wheat pie crust, shaped it into my 11-inch stone casserole dish, and set to mixing up the filling.

Ingredients

Pastry for pie crust. (Use your favorite recipe)

NOTE: This recipe makes a nice, THICK 9-inch pie, but I used an 11-inch round stone casserole dish. If making a larger pie as I did, it tends to take a pie crust recipe that is one and a half times normal.

In a small bowl, mix well:

3 Tbsp ground Chia seeds
9 Tbsp water
Set aside for at least 15 minutes.

Place the following ingredients into a blender jar (if jar is large enough!!! Some are not), or large bowl,
4 Cups cooked pumpkin
12 ounces whole Milk
1 Cup Sugar
4-5 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Mix together well, then add the chia seed mixture. Mix again thoroughly and pour into your prepared pie shell in the pie plate. Be careful not to overfill. If you have leftover liquid, you can pour it into a small baking dish and bake as a crust free pie, if desired. May also be frozen for later use. Keeps frozen up to three months.　

Place pie in a preheated 425 oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another hour. You may need to cover the pie crust edges with foil so that they do not over-brown of burn in baking. Pie may not be set as firm after baking as a regular pumpkin pie. In fact, the knife test normally used will not work with this pie. Bake until the filling is no longer runny, and is almost set. This may take a total baking time of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Allow to cool enough to place in the refirgerator. Refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.

In our experience, this pie was the richest and creamiest pumpkin pie we have ever had. It was softer than normal, but after the 8 hours in the refrigerator, it was set enough to serve. The key was baking it until all the liquid was gone. It had a pleasant velvety texture, similar to a cheese cake.

Another variation I sometimes make with a pumpkin pie recipe is Maple Pumpkin PIe. It's simple as pie, made by adding 1-2 tsp of 100% genuine maple flavoring for a wonderful fall treat. Pour this into the blender as those ingredients are mixing. Bake as directed.