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Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Slab Pie

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Slab Pie

Pumpkin pie is, in fact, my favorite pie, HOWEVER, when I eat it (and please don’t hate me for this), I only eat the part near the crust, because I need a near-equal crust to filling ratio when I eat pie. Yes, I said it, and yes, you’re probably making a weird face at your screen right now, but I am who I am and I said what I said! So, since I’m out here trying to solve these real world problems (read: pie crust ratios), I present to you: sheet pan slab pie! Not only is this dessert HUGE and perfect for a crowd, especially during the holidays, but it truly solves my crust to filling ratio problem.

Now, even if the layer of filling is thinner, I’m absolutely not skimping on flavor. You have the classic, creamy pumpkin filling, but to give it even more spice and to make this pie an even more beautiful thing to behold, I added a cinnamon filling swirled throughout. It’s packed with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, so it hits all the fall flavor notes! Every bite is a different mix of the two fillings and the amount of crust you have, which makes eating a slice even more fun. This pie will be a show stopper on your Thanksgiving table (or if you’re me, any time of year) not only for its size, but for the beautifully swirled filling and the bounty of crispy, buttery crust!


1. Pie Dough Tips

There are so many! The ones most important with a crust this large are 1. Make sure your butter is in relatively small pieces. If you aren’t sure how far to break it down, an easy shortcut is to grate your butter on the largest holes of a box grater, freeze it for 30 minutes, and then mix it into your dry ingredients before adding ice water. 2. Don’t be afraid to refrigerate your pie dough at any point if it gets sticky or becomes hard to handle. The more fridge time it has, before, during, and after rolling, the better it will bake and hold its shape.


2. Custard Pie

Custard pie fillings – fillings that are thickened with eggs – tend to rise while baking, and then can crack when they’re cooled too quickly. To help avoid that, once the pie is baked, turn the oven off, crack the door, and allow the pie to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove the pie and place it on a cooling rack to finish cooling. 

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3. Swirl Technique

The thing to remember when swirling fillings together like this is that less is more! I dollop big spoonfuls of the cinnamon mixture over the pumpkin – it doesn’t matter if they’re messy since you’re going to swirl them anyway – then use a butter knife to draw large, loose “S” shapes across the surface of the pie. I usually draw 4 to 5 “Ss”, rotating the pan 90 degrees to make sure I swipe through each dollop once. Remember, you can always add more swirls, but you can’t take them away!