Pumpkin Crisp

It’ll take about 1 bite of this goodness to realize Pumpkin Crisp is your new favorite fall dessert! The smooth, perfectly spiced pumpkin filling and the crunchy topping is truly a match made in heaven!!

Fellow pumpkin-lovers….hello, hello!!!  If you’ve been a follower for awhile, you know I’m a big fan of everything PUMPKIN.  From Pumpkin Poke Cake to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, Pumpkin Dump Cake and everything in between….pumpkin is just my favorite, especially during the holiday season!

Well, if you’re like me and love anything pumpkin-flavored, you are going to LOVE this delicious fall dessert!  Here’s why….  I took the best part of an apple crisp (the crumbly top part) and the best part of a traditional pumpkin pie (the filling) and combined them into the perfect dessert….Pumpkin Pie Crisp.

Pumpkin Crisp Ingredients

• Pumpkin Puree – Be sure that you’re getting the pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling.
• White Sugar
• Eggs – The eggs help the pumpkin filling set so it doesn’t stay runny.
• Evaporated Milk – The milk will give the filling its creamy texture and a richer flavor.
• Gingersnap Cookies – You’ll use the gingersnap cookies to make a “flour” for part of the topping. The flavor that comes from the gingersnap cookie “flour” is incredible!
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – It’s all about the flavor!!! If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, no worries! You can certainly use a combination of 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.
• Vanilla Extract
• Quick Oats – The quick oats help give the crisp a topping texture that you crave on any crisp!
• Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will be fine.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda
• Butter – Butter is used in the topping and helps make the topping crisp and to add a rich buttery flavor. I like to use salted butter.

How to Make Pumpkin Crisp

First, you’ll make the pumpkin mixture by whisking together pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a large bowl. You can mix by hand or stir it up with a hand mixer.  Then, you’ll pour the filling into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and set aside.

For the topping, you’ll first add some gingersnap cookies to a food processor and blend until you have fine crumbs.

Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl, including the gingersnap cookie crumbs, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

Then you’ll use a fork or pastry cutter to mix in the softened butter and mix until it forms a nice chunky crisp topping.

Sprinkle this mixture over the pumpkin filling and bake.

How to Know When A Baked Pumpkin Dessert is Done

If you’re making a pumpkin dessert that has eggs in the filling, you need to bake until the center of the dish is 175F. The eggs will set up at this point and it’ll be safe to consume. Once the dessert cools, it’ll also set up and be exactly how you want it!

Pumpkin Crisp Storage

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (or if everyone was too full to eat from Thanksgiving dinner!), you will want to store the remaining crisp in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I do recommend enjoying the crisp within a day or two as the topping will get less and less crunchy as the time goes by. 

When you’re ready to dive back into the refrigerated crisp, you can certainly eat it right from the container or nuke it in the microwave.

Should I top the pumpkin crisp with whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream?

If the crisp will be served warm, you can really go with either! I’m a big fan of warm desserts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It just goes. On this dessert, a scoop of vanilla, vanilla bean or cinnamon ice cream is perfection!

If the pumpkin crisp will be served at room temperature or cold, I’d recommend using whipped topping. This will also be the easier choice if bringing the pumpkin crisp to a holiday gathering, so you don’t have to worry about ice cream sitting on the counter and getting soupy.

Other Fall Favorites

Pumpkin lovers will also love this one – My Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – Soooo delicious with the smooth cheesecake filling, pie flavors and crumb topping!

Another recipe that I love making in the fall are these Pumpkin Churro Mini Muffins – they’re perfectly pop-able and full of flavor!

Crustless Pumpkin Pie is a dessert I make throughout the year, because it’s an easy recipe, a light dessert (no buttery pie crust) and cures my sweet tooth!