Bobby Flay's pumpkin pie recipe is surprisingly easy

A food writer tests Bobby Flay's pie

Paige Bennett has baked more than one hundred recipes from celebrity chefs. When she tested Bobby Flay's pumpkin pie, it impressed her most.

The recipe uses a graham cracker base

Bobby Flay's Throwdown Pumpkin Pie recipe from the Food Network website features a sturdy graham cracker crust, creamy spiced filling, and decadent bourbon maple whipped cream.

Most ingredients are pantry staples

The recipe uses canned pumpkin purée mixed with butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, and fresh vanilla bean seeds.

The crust bakes for ten minutes first

Bennett crushed graham crackers with a mallet, combined them with butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a blender, then pressed the mixture into a pie tin and baked at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit for ten…

The filling comes together quickly

Bennett whisked eggs and sugar together, then added pumpkin, heavy cream, salt, vanilla, spices, and sugars. She strained the filling and poured it into the cooled crust.

The whipped cream balances the pie

Flay's whipped cream combines heavy whipping cream, bourbon, vanilla bean seeds, and maple syrup. Bennett used dark Grade A maple syrup instead of Grade B, which is no longer a classification.

The pie baked for about ninety minutes

The finished pie had great texture with crispy edges and good height. The whipped cream beautifully balanced the pumpkin flavour and spices with its maple, bourbon, and vanilla notes.

“There's hardly a greater combination than pumpkin pie and whipped cream.”

Bennett plans to make it again

Despite the crust being slightly soggy on the bottom, the pie was surprisingly easy to assemble and utterly delicious.