Lauren's Latest: Gingerbread Cream Pie and Karen Demasco: Gingersnap Pie Crust

I originally made a version of this pie for Thanksgiving.  I used a pre-made graham cracker crust, different spice amounts, different milk amounts, basically different everything.  It was...okay.  For a gingerbread pie it was decidedly not gingerbread spicy.  But I could tell that it could be so much more.  So back to the drawing board.  And what you see below is what I came up with. So. Much. Better.  The crust helps significantly, but bumping up the spices and bringing down the milk helps the filling out quite a bit.  This is pretty darn tasty now.

Note: This uses the BIG BOX of pudding, not the little one.  Don't be tricked, or else your pie will be soup.  I also add ¼ teaspoon meringue powder when I'm mixing up the whipped cream, just to give it a little extra help on the stabilization front, but not absolutely necessary.

Gingerbread Cream Pie
Loosely adapted from Lauren's Latest blog

1 (9-inch) prepared Gingersnap Pie Crust (below)

1 (5.1-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix (BIG BOX)

1½ cups cold whole milk

2 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1½ cups heavy cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, whip vanilla pudding with milk. Let sit 3 minutes to thicken, then stir in molasses and spices.

In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold one third of the whipped cream into the pudding mixture, and then pour the pudding into the pie shell. Top with the remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with a little ground nutmeg for garnish, if desired. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Gingersnap Pie Crust

Adapted from Karen Demasco, as seen at Martha Stewart

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (from approximately 9 ounces gingersnap cookies)

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, flour, salt, and melted butter in a small bowl until well mixed.  Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch pie dish, and using a measuring cup, press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the dish.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake refrigerated crust for 10 minutes, or until set.  The crust should be fragrant.  Let cool completely before making the filling.