Miss Julie's Pumpkin Meringue Pie

Made from scratch with a graham cracker crust, this pumpkin meringue pie is surprisingly easy to make and melts in your mouth.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 0.3333333333333333 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 0.75 cup packed light brown sugar
• 0.5 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
• 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 0.25 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 0.125 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 0.3333333333333333 cup white sugar

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter, flour, and cinnamon together for crust until mixture is binding together. Press into a 9-inch pie plate.
3. Line the crust with aluminum foil, gently pressing into place. Pour 1 inch of dry rice or dried beans onto the foil.
4. Bake in the center rack of the preheated oven until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
6. Whisk pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and sea salt together in a bowl until well blended. Remove foil and rice or beans from crust and set on a baking sheet; pour in the filling.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 C). Continue to bake until set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 C).
8. While the pie cools, make the meringue. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Blend in sugar slowly; increase the mixer's speed to medium-high and beat until egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes more.
9. Spoon meringue onto the pie, using the back of a spoon to form small peaks.
10. Return the pie to the oven and bake until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.