Baking up a storm

One thing I love to do is bake. It's a way I relax and when fall rolls around I love coming up with new pumpkin recipes. This weekend I found a good pumpkin pie recipe.....it was a big hit with the family. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pre-made pie dough
fresh whip cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a 9" pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm it up. Fit an aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans and place it in the oven. Bake 10 min., remove the foil and put the pie shell back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until it begins to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half and half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat until combined.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Place pie on the wire rack and cool. Add a generous amount of fresh whip cream and enjoy the taste of fall.