For those of us who love the sweet, sweet taste of tradition, one of the great things about pumpkin pie is that it tastes just like itself, year after year. Hold the graham cracker crust, the crunchy brown sugar-nut crumble topping, the bourbon-y brûléed filling — we’re here for the simple pumpkin filling and a great crust.

That bold statement made, the thing that makes this recipe scrumptious is the blend of baking spices in it: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. We especially like the ginger and black pepper, which add a hint of fall warmth — but not so much that it’s calling undue attention to itself. Similarly, we use a light hand with the sugars so that they balance out the spices and let the pumpkin’s naturally sweet, squashy flavors shine.

We used our recipe for flaky pie crust. It’s an all-butter crust, and we made it with cultured butter, so it bakes up wonderfully tangy and flavorful with a melt-in-your-mouth richness that’s heaven with the pumpkin filling. It’s also a fairly fuss-free, approachable crust, but if you’re tapped for time, you can pick up a premade crust in our freezer section. Either way, make sure you pile on the whipped cream.

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

½ cup plus 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar, divided

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¾ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

⅛ tsp black pepper

3 large Gelson’s eggs

1 15-oz can pumpkin purée

2 cups whipping cream, divided

2 tsp vanilla extract, divided

1 disc pie crust dough

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup of the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. Whisk until combined.

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs until broken up. Stir in the pumpkin, 1 cup of cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fully combined.

3. Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°.

5. Lightly dust a clean, flat surface with flour. Roll out one disc of dough into a ¼”-thick 9” circle, frequently turning the dough 90° to prevent sticking. Brush off any excess flour and transfer your dough to a pie plate.

6. Cut off any hanging pieces of dough around the edge that are more than 1” long. Fold the excess dough under the edge of the pie, creating a thicker dough rim. Flute the edges of the pie and freeze for 10 minutes to set the dough.

7. Once the dough has set, place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the pumpkin filling from the refrigerator and whisk to re-incorporate the ingredients before pouring it into the pie plate.

8. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the pie is mostly set and just the center jiggles slightly. Remove from the heat until cool and completely set before serving.

9. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until soft peaks form.

10. Serve the cooled pie with the whipped cream. The pie will last for up to 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator.

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