As I usually do, the filling of my first scratch-made pumpkin pie is the result of researching multiple highly-rated recipes online and coming up with my own final version. Mine doesn’t include cloves and substitutes a bit of brown sugar for the traditional white. My favorite part? Doing the leaf design on top! To make them, I cut shapes out of thinly rolled crust dough with cookie cutters and added vein details with a knife. (Premade crust dough from Grand Central Bakery.) Don’t forget the killer mascarpone whipped cream; it’s to die for!

My pumpkin pie filling

2 cups mashed pumpkin*
12 oz evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

* If using fresh pumpkin, wring the additional moisture out in cheesecloth first.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a prepared crust of your choosing. Bake 40-50 minutes or until the center jiggles only slightly.

Mascarpone whipped cream
Original recipe: Stress Baking

4 ounces mascarpone cheese
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Chill a large mixing bowl in the fridge.
In your chilled bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar on a high speed until completely combined.
Add vanilla and heavy cream, and mix on a low setting until it is mostly combined. Now increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.