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Pass the Pumpkin Pie Please!

According to the American Pie Council, approximately 70 million pies are sold in grocery stores each year in preparation for Thanksgiving dinners, making Thanksgiving the biggest pie day of the year. Of the pies sold, almost 30 percent are pumpkin pie.

“Pies are a popular holiday dessert because they evoke sentimental feelings of home and family,” said Linda Hoskins, executive director of the American Pie Council. “I can't think of a better way to spend the holidays that with my favorite people and my favorite food — PIE!”

So what is the best way to choose what pie to serve this Thanksgiving? If serving a store-purchased pie, look for the American Pie Council's gold seal, which identifies recent winners of the APC Crisco® National Pie Championships. A complete list of the commercial gold seal winners for other pie varieties is available at www.piecouncil.org.

This pumpkin recipe for Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie was created by Sarah Spaugh of Winston-Salem, NC:

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Crust
3 cups flour
1 ½ 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
(Sarah, of course, uses fresh pumpkins that she has grown, but canned may be used.)
½ cup apple butter
2 ½ cups brown sugar, loosely packed
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup orange juice
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp. cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten together well
1 ½ 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 ¼ cup confectioner's sugar and ¼ tsp vanilla. Sprinkle with toffee bits or chopped pecans.