The Addition That Makes For The Best Pumpkin Pie

While pumpkin pie may not be as polarizing a holiday desert as, say, fruitcake, on the other hand, it also lacks a certain "wow" factor that has it coming in well behind both apple and pecan on a list of the nation's best-loved pies. Sure, people agree to eat it on Thanksgiving out of a sense of obligation, but the same could be said of green bean casserole, candied yams, and similar not-otherwise-popular sides. If you want pumpkin pie that people will actually get excited about, though, you might want to start thinking mashup dessert. Okay, so maybe a Cherpumple, Pumpecapple, or Piecaken is a bit much to make — and pretty pricey to purchase. A salted caramel pumpkin pie, however, can be made without too much extra effort.

Yes, salted caramel, the trend that just won't die. Still, as trends go, it is a tasty one, and both the sugary caramel goo plus the salty, uh, salt, go well with the earthy pumpkin flavor. Unlike the aforementioned Franken-desserts, salted caramel also doesn't introduce anything too outre to the mix that is likely to offend pumpkin pie purists.

Depending on how much effort you want to put into your pumpkin pie-baking project, there are several ways you can introduce a salted caramel element. One of these involves mixing some of the sauce into your homemade pumpkin pie filling, although if you do this, be sure to choose a thick sauce and use it to replace some of the liquid (most likely the cream). You may need to do a little tinkering to get the balance right so as not to throw off the consistency of the pie. 

An easier way to get that salted caramel flavor without messing up the pie filling, however, is to take a jar of caramel sauce and pour it over the bottom of a blind-baked pie crust. Allow it to set in the fridge, then top it with pumpkin. (No salted caramel sauce? Use regular caramel, then sprinkle it with salt. Boom, problem solved.)

Of course, you can also go the truly lazy — or, as we prefer to think of it, genius time-saver — route and purchase a pie, whether bakery-made or frozen. Bake or heat as per the instructions, then drizzle caramel sauce over the top and finish off with a sprinkling of salt (the coarser the better). Less than two minutes, and you've upgraded that pie to the point where you may find yourself wanting to eat it more than once or twice a year.