Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Crust
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
9 tbsp cold milk
1 egg white, slightly beaten

Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until particles are about the size of peas.

Add cold milk, a little at a time to make a dough that will barely stick together. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each out on floured surface and fit into pie pans. Brush bottom crusts with beaten egg white. Crimp edges.

Filling:
4 cups cooked mashed pumpkin*
1/2 cup apple butter
2 1/2 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten together well
1 1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk

To beaten eggs, add sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, apple butter, orange juice, salt and cinnamon. Mix well.

Add evaporated milk and mix well. Pour into prepared pie crusts.

Bake 10 minutes at 425. Turn oven to 350 and continue cooking for 30-40 minutes until filling in middle does not stick to tester.

Optional: After pie is cooked, whip 1 cup whipping cream with 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla. Sprinkle with toffee bits or chopped pecans.

*Sarah, of course, uses fresh pumpkins that she has grown, but canned may be used.

2004 APC Crisco National Pie Championships
1st Place Pumpkin; Sarah Spaugh, Winston-Salem, NC
Source: American Pie Council