Perfect Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

It's time for a confession. I don't like pumpkin. People get REALLY upset when you tell them you don't like pumpkin. Almost as upset as they get when you tell them you don't like In N Out. But that's another story.

I may not like pumpkin, but I can make a mean pumpkin pie!

Perfect Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
15 oz canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 frozen pie crusts
Whipped cream, for topping
4 pounds dried beans or pie weights (for making crust) 

Directions:
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Place your pie crusts into 9 inch pie pans and press down along the sides and bottom. Pinch the edges of the crust in a pattern. Fit a piece of foil to the crust, and fill each pie crust with about 2 lbs of dried beans or pie weights. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes, until crust starts to dry and begins to color.

Filling: 
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin and mix until combined. Add sugar and salt, beat until combined. Add eggs, half and half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat until incorporated. 

Pour filling into crusts and bake 50-65 minutes or until center of pie is set. Let cool at room temperature. Serve with whipped cream!

Makes 2 pies!