Amaretto Pumpkin Pie! This decadent twist on pumpkin pie (without evaporated milk) is infused with almond flavor from sweet almond liqueur. Topped with a crunchy almond praline, it may become the most requested pumpkin pie recipe of the season!
Make Crust Combine cold butter, flour and crushed amaretti cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Slowly pour in cold water while continuing to process (about 1 tablespoon at a time) until a dough ball forms. If dough becomes too wet, just add a bit more flour.
Press into pie dish, pushing up the sides (I like to use the back of a ½ cup measuring cup for this task.) Poke dough with a fork, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until chilled..
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover chilled pie dough with foil, and fill with pie weights or dry beans to weigh down. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Remove foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 min
Make Filling In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, amaretto, nutmeg, vanilla extract and sea salt until smooth and combined.
Pour filling into pie crust and bake for about an hour or until the pie is mostly set. (It will still be slightly jiggly in the middle.) Cool completely.
Make Praline Prepare a baking pan by lining with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. You will need to move quickly once you are ready to pour the hot sugar onto the mat, so have everything ready.
In a heavy bottomed pot, cook sugar and 1 tablespoon water over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, swirling the pan every so often instead of stirring. (Stirring can cause the mixture to crystallize.)
When sugar turns honey brown, remove from heat and stir in sliced almonds and salt. Pour onto prepared non-stick surface and spread with a spatula in as thin of a layer as possible.
Cool completely. Once cool, break into small pieces. Sprinkle praline over pie before serving.