Pumpkin Butter Oatmeal Pie

I am not a fan of pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin. Love pumpkin coffee drinks, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin mac and cheese, pumpkin bread. I love everything pumpkin. Except pumpkin pie. So you can imagine my conundrum during Thanksgiving when pumpkin pie is the central dessert on everyone’s table?

So I started my own Thanksgiving tradition of making a pumpkin-ish pie. Last year’s pie of pumpkin, cheesecake and pecan was phenomenal. It was so phenomenal I made it again at Christmas. I of course want something as phenomenal as what I had last year but maybe a little less work.

So I found a recipe for pumpkin butter pie made with oats from Better Homes and Gradens. It sounded perfect. Pumpkin butter would still be pumpkin-y but the recipe appeared to have more of a pecan pie texture. Which I love. And the addition of oats was a plus too. I love oats. So I was very excited to try this pie. I didn’t get all gussy like the folks at Better Homes and Gardens did. I made a plain pie with no fancy trimmings around the edge. I was hoping the pie would stand alone.

I will tell you I had a helluva time finding pumpkin butter. About two weeks before Thanksgiving I went to Trader Joe’s and couldn’t find any. When you go to Trader Joe’s you know they always ask you if you found everything OK. I told him I couldn’t find pumpkin butter. The clerk told me pumpkin butter is seasonal. Which I get. But for crying out loud Thanksgiving hadn’t even come and gone yet. How could you get more seasonal for pumpkin than Thanksgiving?!

I couldn’t find pumpkin butter at Von’s or Whole Foods either. I eventually ordered some at Walmart. So if you plan to make this pie next Thanksgiving, buy your pumpkin butter early.

This recipe is under-rated on Better Homes and Gardens, in my opinion, coming in at only three stars. To be fair, I topped my pie with the most amazing ice cream ever (Ben and Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns), which made the pie extra special in my opinion.

ingredients.

1 recipe Sugar and Spice pie dough
2 T. plus ½ c. butter, divided
⅔ c. regular rolled oats
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. dark-color corn syrup
2 eggs
1 9-oz jar pumpkin butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt

directions.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare pie dough according to directions. On a lightly floured surface, slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edge into a 12-inch circle. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry so that the dough hangs over edge of pie plate and then crimp or pinch dough with your fingers.
Prick pie dough all over with a fork. Line dough with a double thickness of foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until dough is set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, for filling, in a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over low heat until melted. Cook about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Add oats and walnuts. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until toasted; cool.
In a large microwave-safe bowl microwave half cup of butter on 100 percent power (high) for 30 to 45 seconds or until melted. Stir in corn syrup; whisk in eggs, pumpkin butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in oat mixture. Pour filling into pastry shell.
Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack.
If desired, reheat slightly to serve and top with your favorite ice cream flavor. Otherwise serve room temperature with whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe rating: 