Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Pie (Milk Bar Copycat)

How to Make Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Pie

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make all of the elements ahead of time – aside from the meringue which I recommend making the same day you plan to serve the pie. That makes this such a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving because it’s SO delicious and an absolute showstopper sitting on the dessert table, but you can break up the work to cut out the stress!

The crust, you can either make the dough and freeze it for up to 3 months in advance, or make the dough and bake it, then keep it in the fridge for up to three days before assembling the pie. The caramel you can make up to a week in advance, and the pumpkin ganache you can make up to 3 days ahead.

If you’re making this for Thanksgiving, my recommendation is to make the crust, the caramel, and the pumpkin ganache on Monday, assemble the pie on Wednesday evening, and then make the meringue and top the pie on Thursday up to an hour before your party. Then keep it in the fridge until just before serving, and serve it cold!

The Crust.

This is Milk Bar’s laminated cornmeal crust from the original recipe. It can be found on their website, here.

Start by cubing the butter into small pieces and then place it in the freezer so it gets super cold. The trick to extra flakey pie crust is keeping the butter as cold as possible! Next, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Once the butter is cold, toss it with the dry ingredients until it’s coated in the flour mixture. Then, use your fingers to squish the butter until it’s roughly the size of blueberries. If the butter has started to soften at all, pop the entire bowl into the freezer for a few minutes until cold again.

In a small bowl, mix together the water and vinegar and add a few ice cubes so it stays very cold. Add the water mixture 1 TBSP at a time until the dough holds together when pressed. You want it to be able to form into a ball, but not too wet or sticky. If you add too much water, you can add a bit of flour to get the right consistency. Shape the dough into a flat disc, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and dust your surface with flour. We’re going to roll out and fold the dough to create the laminated layers. Dust your rolling pin with flour, then roll your dough into a long rectangle, short side facing you. Fold the dough like a letter, folding from the top edge down towards the center, then fold the bottom edge up to the top. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then repeat two more times. Wrap it up in plastic again and place back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to three days until you’re ready to bake it.

When ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350 and remove the dough from the fridge. If it’s been in there more than a few hours, you might need to let it sit on the counter for a few minutes so you’re able to roll it out. Dust your surface and rolling pin with flour, then roll out the dough so that it is about 2″ wider than the bottom of your pie pan. I recommend using a 10″ pie pan that is at least 2″ deep.

Gently transfer the dough to the pie dish, and drape it down into the bottom. Fold the edges underneath themselves and then crimp them however you like. Dock the bottom with a fork to prevent the dough from puffing up while baking.

Place parchment on top of the dough and then place pie weights (or sugar, rice, or dry beans etc…) on top of the parchment. Bake the dough for 30-35 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. If at any point during baking the crust the edges seem like they are browning too quickly, tent them with foil. Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.

The Salted Bourbon Caramel.

Measure out all of the ingredients ahead of time and place them by the stove so that you don’t get distracted and accidentally burn the sugar. Also, grab a long handled wooden spoon.

In a medium light colored saucepan, add the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Make sure all of the sugar is moistened with the water. Place over medium heat until it starts to simmer around the edges. Place a lid on the pan and leave it for 3 minutes. This will create steam inside the pan and any sugar that is stuck to the sides will melt back down preventing any crystallization.

After 3 minutes, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium low. At this point, avoid stirring the caramel. If you notice that one side is starting to take on color faster than the other, very gently swirl the pan around, trying not to let the sugar get too high up the sides of the pan. Let the sugar caramelize, but keep an eye on it. It should take between 7-10 minutes.

Once the caramel reaches a deep amber color, remove the pan from the heat and let it set for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Then, very carefully pour in the whiskey while stirring with a long handled wooden spoon. It will bubble up and steam pretty violently, so be extra careful. After the whiskey is combined, drizzle in the heavy cream while stirring. It should bubble up as well, but not as much as the whiskey. Once the cream is combined, stir in the butter and flakey salt until smooth.

Let it cool, then transfer to a glass container to cool completely. You can make this up to 2 weeks in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until ready to use.

The White Chocolate Chai Pumpkin Ganache.

Pumpkin has a lot of liquid, so to reduce it we need to roast the pumpkin first. If you skip this step, the ganache won’t set up enough to slice it, and it will have more of a pudding consistency. Spread the pumpkin puree onto a parchment lined sheet pan and spread it into an even layer. Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then set it aside to cool completely. It should deepen in color and thicken like pictured below.

Place the white chocolate in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, butter, and corn syrup. Place over medium heat and let it warm until it’s starting to simmer, but not boiling. Then, pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minutes to start to soften the chocolate, then whisk until smooth.

Add the roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, and chai spice mix to the melted white chocolate mixture, and whisk until smooth. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the pie. The ganache can be made up to 3 days in advance and placed in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. When ready to assemble, just microwave it for 20 seconds or so, until it’s pourable enough to layer into the pie dish.

Assemble and Chill.

Once crust is cooled, pour the salted bourbon caramel into the bottom of the pie and spread into an even layer. Then, layer in the pumpkin ganache being careful not to let it mix with the caramel. (You could place the pie into the fridge for a few minutes to let the caramel set a bit to help with this.) Spread the pumpkin ganache into an even layer, then place the pie uncovered in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, but ideally overnight so the ganache has time to properly firm up.

The Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue.

The next day, when you’re ready to serve the pie, make the brown sugar meringue topping. Place the egg whites and sugars into a bowl and place the bowl on top of a saucepan filled with a couple inches of water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water.

Place it over medium heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves. It should take about 5 minutes. You can test it by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to feel for sugar granules. If it’s completely smooth, it’s ready.

Transfer the egg white mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl is completely clean and free of any oils. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on high until it reaches soft peaks. Then, add the vanilla and salt and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

Pile the meringue on top of the chilled pie and toast with a kitchen torch until golden brown. Serve cold.

Let’s Talk White Chocolate.

I tested this recipe with real white chocolate chips and with Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. (Which technically aren’t REAL white chocolate.) The recipe works both ways, but there’s a slight difference. Lots of white chocolate chips that you see at the grocery store are marketed as white chocolate, but actually don’t contain any cocoa solids – only cocoa butter. This results in a super sweet chip without those rich and slightly bitter chocolate notes.

Real white chocolate contains both cocoa solids AND cocoa butter so it’s not quite as sweet, has rich bitter chocolate notes from the cocoa solids, and a super buttery smoothness from the cocoa butter. Real white chocolate is a bit pricier of course, but if you can find it, it will help balance out the sweetness of this pie for sure! I love Valrhona and Callebaut for white chocolate which you can find on their respective websites, specialty baking stores, or on Amazon.

Tools & Equipment

• Pie Dish. I recommend using a 10″ pie dish that is at least 2″ deep. I prefer baking with a ceramic pie dish, but glass or metal is fine too!
• Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment. For the meringue. You can also make it with a handheld mixer, but it takes a lot of whipping!
• Pie Weights. I use these ceramic pie weights from Jefferson Street Ceramics and I love them. You could also use sugar, rice, dried beans, or really anything thats heavy and oven safe that will prevent your pie dough from puffing up while baking.
• Long Handled Wooden Spoon. For caramel making, to protect your hand when stirring really hot caramel. This one is perfect and cheap from Amazon.
• Kitchen Scale. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million more. A kitchen scale is the only way to ensure your bakes turn out exactly right.
• Kitchen Torch. For a perfectly toasted meringue. This one is great – but there’s so many options on Amazon.

Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Pie FAQs

• Where can I find the original Milk Bar recipe? It’s on their website – here!
• Can I make this recipe gluten free? The only flour we use in this recipe is in the crust, so if you swap out the crust for a gluten free option, yes!
• Can I make this recipe ahead of time? Yes! The only thing that you can’t prep in advance is the meringue topping. All of the other elements can be prepped days in advance so it’s the perfect dessert for all of your holiday parties!
• Can I omit the alcohol? Yes! If you don’t want to add the bourbon to the caramel, just omit it and it will still be delicious.