Coco in the Kitchen

Treats for the whole family!

Pumpkin, Spice & Everything Nice: Maple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

| Autumn, breakfast, chocolate, cinnamon, comforting, pumpkin, sugar, sweet, tea-time, Vanilla

Have you noticed the air smells different when the seasons change?

It’s still in the warm 80’s in SoCal, but Fall is officially here.
Peaches have given way to pumpkins and rustling leaves are starting to turn golden.

While it’s still too early to break out the cable-knit sweaters, it’s always the perfect
time for a slice of pumpkin pie.

It combines all the flavours of Autumn in a mildly sweet, cozy package.

The traditional recipe is comforting, easy to follow and never disappoints.

But, sometimes a few changes lend a new and edgy angle to an old favourite.
Like the canned pumpkin itself. 
Nowadays, you have a choice, not just one brand.  And, yes, there is a difference in flavour.
In recent years, I’ve stock-piled TJoe’s organic canned pumpkin.
You should, too.
It’s a mystery how they manage to pack such fresh flavour in a can.

Another change is the addition of chocolate, my favourite subject of all.
Pairing it with pumpkin is a fairly new thing for me. The two get
along famously.

Technique can also update even a no-brainer like pumpkin pie.
As with all spices, ground cinnamon loses flavour with time.
Why not grate your own?
All you need is a cinnamon stick and microplane.

As for the crust, shortbread is a great change from the usual graham.
It has a lovely buttery flavour and a delicate crunch.
Make your own or cheat with the Keebler brand ready-crust.

Now, these ideas look very sexy on paper, but you know I wouldn’t give you anything without doing some quality control first.

Friday night, after I got home from work, I grabbed my li’l Sugar-Spice-Everything-Nice and we hit the kitchen.

We did some serious testing with unexpected ingredients.
The next day, the results got rave-reviews at breakfast.

Yes, pie for breakfast. You should try it some time.

This is a gorgeously creamy, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin pie
with a punch of chocolate flavour.

Look there – your left brow is raised.
Wait til you have a closer look at the ingredients.

Did I tell you it’s so easy that a 2-year-old can make it?


Chocolate Maple Pumpkin Pie
Take the old fashioned approach with a big bowl and wooden spoon
or go high-tech and use a mixer.
Get the kids involved. It’s so much fun!


Makes 2 pies

What to get:
2 15oz cans Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
3 Tb maple syrup
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
splash of vanilla

2 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 tsp freshly grated
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper (Trust me.)
1 Tb cocoa powder
pinch salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips (or more)

2 Keebler shortbread pie crusts


What to do:
Preheat oven to 350*F.

Place pie shells onto a cookie sheet (makes it easier to transport them into the oven).

Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie crusts.

Mix the rest of the ingredient together.
Don’t worry if your batter looks a bit lumpy. 

 Divide batter between the 2 pie shells and pop them into the warm oven.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until you can smell the cinnamon.

Remove the pies from the oven and let them cool at room temp for about half an hour.
Then chill the in the fridge until ready to serve, best overnight.

Celebrate Fall with all the signature flavours… 

Pumpkin, cinnamon, maple.

But, remember that chocolate’s always in season,
delivering a luxurious touch to an otherwise modest pie.

Close your eyes, take a bite.

Get lost in the leaves under sugar maple trees.

Comments

  2. Yum-o-liscious! I totally agree that TJ's pumpkin is the best. We have been missin out on so much flavor before, right? I love grinding my own spices. Not only does it taste better, it is fun to do! ~ David

  7. Yummy! You have discovered great inspirations for celebrations. I have noted this recipe and am surely try to make this delicious one. Thanks for sharing this yummy post.

  9. Colette, this is one delicious looking Pumpkin Pie! We do not eat a lot of pumkin pies around here but I make a few every year – however, no such thing as canned pumpkin in stores here, so I have to make my own pumkin purée. Butternut squash is one of my favorites. I love that you got your cute daughter involved in baking this lovely pie!
    Have a great Monday, dear friend!

  16. Hello,

    We love your recipes, they are so yummy. Would be delighted if you could share your recipes with us at http://ipinrecipes.com/ a community for food bloggers and food lovers. With iPinRecipes.com your recipes will be published immediately without any editorial review. No need to edit, crop your recipe images, with iPinRecipes.com you can directly pin your recipes from your blog. So why to wait, join our community and start pinning recipes.

    Happy Pinning!!!

    Regards
    iPinRecipes Team

Get the latest

Get all of my latest recipes right to your inbox!

My favorite Pie Recipes

Connect with Coco

Archives

Categories