Hilary's Favorite Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I wanted to share my favorite Pumpkin Pie Recipe, the funny thing about this is I don't like Pumpkin Pie but I love this one! I think it is the cream cheese. This recipe is from FoodNetwork.com and is one of Paula Deen's recipe.

Pumpkin Pie
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time: 15 min Level: Easy
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min Serves: 6 - 8
Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
1 pre-made pie dough
Whipped cream, for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place 1 pre-made pie dough down into a 9-inch pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. (FYI I skipped this step of using pie weights or beans and it still turned out fine.) Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning 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, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cute the slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

I hope you all enjoy the recipe!