No-Bake Pumpkin Chiffon Pie from ‘The Year of Cozy’

This recipe is from The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures by Adrianna Adarme (Rodale), who writes the blog, A Cozy Kitchen. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!

Photograph by Adrianna Adarme

By Adrianna Adarme

No-Bake Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie

Okay, so I lied. There is some baking in this recipe, but only 8 minutes’ worth! I’m not lucky enough to have a double oven, and I’m guessing you probably don’t have one either, so enter this pie!

I fell in love with chiffon pies a few years ago; they’re wonderfully light, and their texture is silky smooth. Gelatin (versus a large amount of eggs) helps achieve this beautiful texture. For years I strictly made egg-heavy pumpkin pies. I got over it and began the search for something that wouldn’t bog you down even more after a large meal. I found a happy medium: fewer eggs and a bit of gelatin. Now, I reserve my oven for other important things like biscuits, stuffing, and turkey, and I use my fridge to make this perfect pumpkin pie.

CRUST
2 cups gingersnap crumbs (from about 30 cookies)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

FILLING
3 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup + ¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly whipped cream

To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the crumbs and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the butter and mix until the gingersnap crumbs are moist. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish and press the crumbs firmly and evenly until they line the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake until slightly darker in color and firm to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filling.

To make the filling: Pour the rum into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin atop the rum and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, add the pumpkin, heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Cook the mixture, stirring, until it reaches a temperature of 175°F. Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the rum and gelatin. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in the metal bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 2 egg whites until they begin to hold peaks. With the beaters still going, sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the cooled pumpkin mixture. Add the pie filling to the gingersnap pie shell and transfer to the fridge to set for 5 hours. Serve with a topping of freshly whipped cream and garnish with gingersnap cookie crumbs or a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Shopping Tip: You can usually find gelatin right next to the Jell-O in your grocery store. It comes in two forms: powder and sheets. I use the powder, but either would work for this recipe. If you do buy the sheets, you’ll need 2 for this recipe.

Note: Whenever I fold whipped raw egg whites into a dessert, I make sure to use good-quality organic eggs.

Reprinted with permission from The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures by Adrianna Adarme (Rodale).

More pies to love:

Pumpkin-Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust Is the Decadent Dessert You’ve Been Looking For

Maple Apple Crumb Pie from ‘Maple’

Chocolate Chip Georgia Pecan Pie from ‘Down South Paleo’