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Milk Bar Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 71 reviews

Milk Bar Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie is a decadent layered dessert featuring a rich pumpkin ganache, chewy salted caramel, and a buttery pie crust topped with spiced streusel and fresh whipped cream. This pie combines smooth roasted pumpkin puree with white chocolate and warming pumpkin spices, balanced by a luscious homemade salted caramel. The pie crust is tender, flaky, and made with cornmeal for texture, while the streusel adds a crisp, cinnamon-cardamom crunch. Perfect for fall gatherings, this pie is baked, chilled overnight for set layers, and served cold with whipped cream.

Ingredients

Scale

Pumpkin Ganache:

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling or mix)
  • 1 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
  • 1/3 cup Corn Syrup (scant)
  • 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 12 to 16 ounces White Chocolate (2 to 2 1/2 cups high-quality white chocolate)
  • 3 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Chewy Salted Caramel:

  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
  • 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (up to 2 teaspoons to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Pie Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 cup Fine Ground Cornmeal
  • 1 Tablespoon White Sugar (heaping)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup Ice Cold Water
  • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Streusel Topping:

  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Rolled Oats
  • 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
  • Pinch of Salt

Fresh Whipped Cream:

  • 2 cups Heavy Cream
  • 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

Instructions

  1. Roast Pumpkin Puree: Spread both cans of pumpkin puree on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in a 325°F oven for 20–30 minutes until the color darkens by two shades and the puree reduces to about 2 cups or 500 grams. Allow to cool before using.
  2. Make Pumpkin Ganache: Add white chocolate to a large heat-safe bowl. In a small pot, bring heavy cream, corn syrup, and butter to a boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, ensuring all the chocolate is covered; let sit for 1 minute. Add roasted pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, then blend with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth and silky. Refrigerate until ready to use, reheating gently to a pourable consistency.
  3. Prepare Salted Caramel: Keep heavy cream and butter cold. In a medium saucepan, combine water, white sugar, and corn syrup and dissolve sugar over medium heat. Without stirring once clear and bubbling, swirl pan gently and brush down sides to avoid crystallization. When golden, remove pan from heat and gradually whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time, then whisk in cream, vanilla, and salt quickly. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until firm. Reheat gently before use.
  4. Make Pie Crust Dough: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized butter chunks. Mix apple cider vinegar with ice cold water and add gradually until dough holds together but stays crumbly. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Roll and Fold Dough: On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle, fold it like a letter, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat the rolling and folding. Then roll out into a circle at least two inches wider than your pie tin. Transfer dough to pie tin, drape without stretching, fold excess dough under to create a lip, and crimp edges. Chill before baking.
  6. Blind Bake Pie Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie shell with foil or parchment and fill with weights. Tent edges with foil if browning too fast. Bake 30–35 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove weights and prick bottom of crust with fork. Bake another 15–20 minutes until golden brown. Cool at least 1 hour.
  7. Prepare Streusel Topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, butter, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt by hand until loose crumbs form. Spread on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes until golden brown. Store at room temperature.
  8. Make Fresh Whipped Cream: When ready to serve, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
  9. Assemble the Pie: Pour room temperature salted caramel into pre-baked pie crust, spreading evenly. Chill in fridge 20–25 minutes to set caramel. Pour pumpkin ganache over caramel layer, spreading quickly to fully cover. Refrigerate covered overnight (at least 8 hours) until ganache is firm. Serve cold topped with fresh whipped cream and streusel.

Notes

  • Use high-quality white chocolate for best ganache texture and flavor.
  • Roast pumpkin puree thoroughly to concentrate flavor and reduce moisture content.
  • Be careful not to burn caramel; pull off heat as soon as deep golden brown color is reached.
  • Pie crust dough should remain cold for flakiness; chill whenever dough becomes too warm.
  • Streusel can be made up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • Ganache and caramel can be made 1-2 days ahead; reheat gently before assembling the pie.
  • Store finished pie in the refrigerator and serve chilled for best texture.
  • For a sturdier pie crust, tent edges with foil early during baking to avoid burning.
  • Refer to the blog’s FAQ section for additional tips and troubleshooting.

Keywords: pumpkin pie, caramel pie, milk bar recipe, pumpkin caramel pie, fall dessert, white chocolate ganache, salted caramel, streusel topping, homemade pie crust

Find it online: https://tastemadebyclara.com/milk-bar-hillys-pumpkin-caramel-pie-recipe/