Martha Stewart's 'crunchy' pumpkin pecan pie is perfect for Thanksgiving

Martha Stewart believes that having a pumpkin dessert on Thanksgiving is a must-have treat for the autumnal holiday.

Her novel pumpkin meets pecan pie concept is a guaranteed showstopper. She says that its creamy pumpkin filling is perfectly paired with a crunchy pecan topping. However, if that doesn’t do anything for you, try her “silky smooth” pumpkin cheesecake recipe.You can also experiment with the autumnal staple in other ways by making pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soup, or pumpkin pasta.

The hospitality maven also has a mouth-watering sweet roasted Brussels spouts recipe that can be paired with turkey and gravy, stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and candied sweet potatoes for the main course.

READ MORE: History of Thanksgiving explained - everything to know about the contentious day

​​Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 disk Pate Brisee for Savory and Sweet Pies

• Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting

For the topping

• ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup packed light-brown sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup chopped pecans (4 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

For the filling

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 large egg, plus 1 large yolk

• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• Pinch of ground cloves

Instructions

1. Make crust and freeze

Roll out dough to just under 1/4 inch thick (11-inch diameter) on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim excess, leaving a 1-inch overhang; fold edges under, pressing gently to seal. Freeze for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

2. Preheat oven and blind bake crust

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are lightly browned and bottom crust is cooked through, which should take about 30 minutes. Remove parchment and weights; continue baking until entire crust is golden, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, which should take about 1 hour.

3. Make topping and bake

While crust cools, make the topping by combining flour, brown sugar, salt, and pecans in a bowl. Rub in butter with your fingers until mixture is well combined and crumbly. Crumble evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, which should take about 12 minutes. Let cool.

4. Make filling

Pulse cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add sugar and pumpkin and process until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add egg and yolk, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; process until incorporated.

5. Assemble pie and bake

Pour filling into cooled pie shell. Bake until custard is puffed and just set, tenting with foil if crust is browning too quickly, which should take about 33 minutes.

6. Add topping and let pie cool, then refrigerate

Evenly distribute crumble topping over hot pie, crumbling any large clumps with fingers. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold and firm, which should take at least 4 hours and up to overnight.