2 Chef-Approved Tricks To Elevate Your Pumpkin Pies

If you're a person who appreciates a home-baked pie instead of a pre-made option from the grocery store or local bakery, you might want some tips to elevate your next autumnal dessert. There are many tips for making a flawless pumpkin pie, like using cold butter if you make the crust from scratch. But to really step up your pie-making game this year, Tasting Table turned to Anna Gordon, chef, founder, and co-owner of Brooklyn-based bakery The Good Batch, for expert-worthy pumpkin pie baking tips.

"Two techniques I like for pumpkin [pie] are to brown the butter first, if the recipe calls for butter," Gordon says. "And also, roasting the pumpkin puree on a sheet tray at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes beforehand will give ... an extra toasty flavor." We certainly trust Gordon's tips considering the wide range of baked goods that her bakery slings, and brown butter is well known to elevate a slew of desserts because the browning process intensifies its nuttiness and gives richness to other pastries like chocolate chip cookies. Meanwhile, roasting anything like pumpkin puree will also enhance its flavors and make the pie even tastier.

Browning butter is a delicate balance because you don't want to burn it and ruin the richness that you are attempting to enhance. There are many mistakes you might make when browning butter, but a high temperature is the first step. Stick with unsalted butter and heat it in an appropriately-sized pan over medium heat. It should only take about five minutes for the milk solids to turn brown, so watch out for the color to know when it's time to turn off the heat.

For the roasted pumpkin puree, you'll just need 20 minutes in the oven before you combine it with the rest of your recipe's ingredients. You can do this with homemade or canned pumpkin puree, depending on your level of commitment. In addition to enhancing the flavor, roasting should rid the puree of some of its moisture for a more custard-like consistency. Just don't let it sit in the oven for too long or both of those factors could be eliminated. Try both of these tips with our classic pumpkin pie or buttery deep dish pumpkin pie recipes — and prepare to impress your tastebuds and dinner guests.