♥Smooth as Silk Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie♥

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I've made a few pumpkin or punkin' pies in my day and all of them have been good but this recipe is the best I've ever used. Rich, creamy and oh, so yummy, you'll have even those "no, I hate pumpkin pie" folks coming back for just one more sliver!

Ingredients 

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
1 piece refrigerated pie dough
whipped cream, for topping

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Prick unbaked pie shell along sides and bottom to help prevent shrinkage. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely.

Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds). Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs that have been mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.
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