Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Pie

A twist on traditional pumpkin pie – swirled with decadent Nutella and baked in a gingersnap crust.

A swirly twirly pumpkin pie to add to your fall baking list. Isn’t she pretty?

Like gingerbread is to my Christmas, pumpkin pies are to my fall. Crunchy leaves, oversized sweaters, and pumpkin-spiced everything.

I usually cover my pumpkin pie with Cool Whip. Like… drown. My Thanksgiving dessert is typically a plate of Cool Whip and a side of my mom’s pumpkin pie. There’s nothing better. But this weekend, in true Sally fashion, I decided to wander down the unconventional route.  I swirled my traditional pumpkin pie with chocolate. Nutella, to be exact.

Oh. And I also did not have Cool Whip hiding my freezer like I thought. So thereyago.

Chocolate saves the day.

We’ve got a standard pumpkin pie here. Eggs, heavy cream, pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. The smooth creamy pie filling lies on a bed of spicy crushed gingersnaps binded with melted butter. For those of you who fear pie dough, this is an easy patted-down style crust, which means no rolling or chilling! It’s very easy and stays together nicely.

Feel free to use homemade gingersnaps for your crust, but make sure they are crunchy and sturdy enough for the heavy filling. Or use a graham cracker crust, traditional pie crust, or even a chocolate cookie crust (Oreo crust – that would be good).

I loved the flavor of the crunchy gingersnaps. Each bite of the crust had a complex sweet, spicy and sultry kick to it.

This was my first time trying pumpkin and Nutella together. Both items are almost always sitting in my pantry, but the thought never occured to me to combine them until last week. A total “aha!” moment. I truly feel that chocolate and pumpkin is an under-appreciated duo.  I recently fell in love with a Skinny Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie and a Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bar. This pie? Umm… not so healthy. Totally worth every decadent bite.

Here is a photo of the crust being made and the pie before going into the oven. Tip: warm, melted Nutella works best for swirling.

There are so many wonderful pumpkin pie recipes out there, but I wanted something different to share.  Plus, I don’t think I could ever make my mom’s traditional pumpkin pie quite like she does.  You don’t mess with the best!

Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Pie

Yield: Serves 8-10

A twist on traditional pumpkin pie - swirled with decadent Nutella and baked in a gingersnap crust.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Filling:

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 15 ounce can pure pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar, I prefer dark)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger¹
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves¹
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg¹
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Nutella, warmed (or 4 oz melted high quality chocolate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)  Spray 9 or 8 inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. Grind up gingersnap cookies into a fine crumb. Mix with melted butter, and sugar. Press into prepared pie dish. Do not press the crust far up the sides of the dish, or the cookies will end up burning. About halfway up the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes and allow to slightly cool.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the Nutella) and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into pie crust. Drop spoonfuls of warmed Nutella (I usually kust stick in the microwave for 30 seconds) onto pie, swirling gently with a knife. Do not swirl too much, just lightly.
3. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is set. The center will still look wet but will not "jiggle" too much. Allow to cool completely and serve at room temperature. Pie is good up to 4 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Pie freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes:

1. 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for these spices.

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What is your favorite pumpkin pie recipe like?

And here is my Classic Pumpkin Pie recipe.