Recipe: Walnut Ginger Crusted Pumpkin Cheese Pie with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping

WALNUT GINGER CRUSTED PUMPKIN CHEESE PIE WITH BOURBON SOUR CREAM TOPPING

FOR THE GINGERSNAP COOKIE CRUST:
3/4 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts
2 tbsp. sugar
1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 20 gingersnaps)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. fresh grated orange peel
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
FOR THE BOURBON SOUR CREAM TOPPING:
2 cups sour cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. bourbon
16 walnut halves (to garnish)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix walnuts, sugar, crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Place mixture in a 10-inch pie plate and press crumbs in bottom and up sides of pie plate to form crust. Bake 10 minutes and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, brown sugar and orange peel with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream and eggs, one at a time. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in pumpkin and pie spice on low speed until well blended.

Place pie pan on a cookie sheet and pour pumpkin filling into crust.

Bake 45 minutes or until set. Remove and cool 5 minutes.

Increase oven heat to 350.

To make the bourbon sour cream topping:
In a medium bowl whisk together sour cream, sugar and bourbon. Spread over baked cheese pie and bake 5 minutes. Remove and cool, then chill covered in refrigerator overnight.

Garnish with walnut halves before serving.

Makes 1 (10-inch) pie
Source: Charlene Chambers to Diamond Walnuts