Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

I have a new recipe to share with you! This recipe is coming from the Taste of Home "Celebrations" cookbook and was created by Edna Hoffman from Indiana. (Thanks Edna!) haha.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup prepared apple butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. each ground ginger, cloves & nutmeg

1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

Whipped cream (optional)

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.

Add the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg; whisk until well blended.

Pour into pastry shell.

Bake at 400 for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6-8 servings. Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with commerically prepared apple butter.

** So here is how I adapted the recipe, ever so slightly...

1) Like in the last recipe, I used pumpkin pie spice instead of the ginger, cloves & nutmeg. I still added the 1/2 tsp. cinnamon the recipe calls for, and then I added 1/4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.

2) I also took the Editor's advice and instead of using locally made, fresh apple butter, I purchased apple butter in the jam section of the grocery store.

3) In almost every recipe I make, I never set the oven at the temp. it tells me to! This is just because I know my oven. :) I set my oven to 385 instead of 400.

4) I also did not use foil strips to cover the crust like the recipe suggests. I am the proud owner of a "pie crust shield" which sits nicely on the crust to prevent it from burning.

5) So I put the pie in the oven for 15 mins. and then I put the 'shield' on the crust... and then I reset the oven timer for exactly 30 mins. My pie baked for 45 mins, close to 50 total, before I tested it and took it out. My knife didn't come out perfectly clean, but it seemed like the crust and pie were both getting a little dark, so I removed it from the oven anyway.

** Okay, I just tasted the pie now that it has cooled for over an hour... and I topped a piece with some light cool whip... and well, I think I could've left it in a little longer, despite the burnt looking crust! It was a little mushy, instead of firm... but I'm wondering if that is simply because it's still warm. It also says to store the pie in the fridge, so I'm thinking it'll probably firm up once it's been in the fridge a while. I'm still thinking that next time I will turn up the oven temp. a bit, and put the pie crust shield on the crust right when I put it in the oven instead of waiting. As for the taste, not exactly what I was expecting... I could taste the apple butter in it much more before it was baked. It pretty much just tasted like a pumpkin pie after the fact.

Well, I would love to hear feedback if any of you try this recipe! I still recommend it, it just didn't turn out tasting exactly the way I expected! :)