Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Pie Is So Good Because Of These Extra Ingredients

Pumpkin pie is a perfect comforting dessert, full of sweet, earthy pumpkin flavor and a nice amount of soothing spice — with a little bit of a kick. If you're not a baker, there is a hierarchy of store-bought pumpkin pies, and some of them are quite good. In general, however, nothing beats homemade. There are certainly some mistakes to avoid when making pumpkin pie. However, when you follow some advice from a master, a homemade pumpkin pie can actually be quite easy to make. So, let's add another "don't" to the list: Don't make the mistake of not listening to Martha Stewart (the master in this case).

To improve your pumpkin pie, you can add a couple extra ingredients, including one of Martha Stewart's favorite ingredients: eggs. For Martha Stewart's perfect pumpkin pie, you'll want to use an extra egg as well as some cornstarch (her other secret ingredient). While many recipes only use two eggs for a standard 9-inch pumpkin pie, Martha Stewart likes to use three. Adding an extra egg will give your pie a slightly cakier consistency, but it will ensure that the filling bakes up solid, so you won't have to worry about a runny center or an overcooked crust (for a situation where you would have to add extra cook time because the center isn't solidifying properly). The cornstarch will further thicken the filling, making a pie that's beautifully dense, without being overly sweet or cloying from too much sugar.

It may come as a surprise from Martha Stewart, the doyenne of domesticity, that her pumpkin pie filling of choice begins with canned pumpkin puree, rather than homemade. But Stewart likes to use canned pumpkin because she finds that the homemade stuff can end up a little too watery, and that's one of the main issues we're trying to avoid here. Her filling uses equal parts pumpkin puree and evaporated milk, along with three eggs for a 9-inch pie. She also opts for light brown sugar, rather than refined white sugar. The brown sugar will keep your pie nice and moist and add more beautiful dark color and some delicious caramelized flavor that goes perfectly with the baking spices.

The great thing about Martha Stewart's pumpkin pie filling is that it can all be mixed (preferably by hand) in a single bowl. Once you've mixed the initial ingredients, you'll mix in your flavor-packed ones: powdered ginger and cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and vanilla. And, to make sure the pie cooks up nice and thick, add a full tablespoon of cornstarch. Once the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, pour the mix into your crust and bake. The pie filling will come out wonderfully spiced and solid, but smooth thanks to the extra egg and cornstarch. It will hold together beautifully, and is perfect with a little vanilla ice cream.