Easy Pumpkin Custard Pie with Cardamom

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange a rack in the lower 1/3 of your oven and place a metal sheet pan or pizza stone on the rack while it's pre-heating. Then, whisk 1 egg with 1 Tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.

Roll one of the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface, turning the dough a quarter every few rolls, until it's a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a deep 9-inch pie plate and use your hands to gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the plate. Fold the edges of the pie dough under to create a thick rim of crust around the top of the pie. Use your fingers or the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.

Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and line the pie crust with the paper. Fill the parchment paper with pie weights or dried beans. Evenly distribute the pie weights or dried beans around the pie plate.

Par-bake the crust on the hot sheet pan or pizza stone until it's light golden-brown, about 25-30 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights from the pie plate.

Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with 2 layers of egg wash. Return the crust to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes, until the crust is shiny and light golden-brown.

Add the remaining 3 eggs, brown sugar, and white sugar to a large bowl. Whisk the mixture until it's thickened and pale brown, 2-3 minutes.

Next, mix the canned pumpkin into the egg-sugar mixture. Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.

Slowly whisk the half-and-half into the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until the filling is combined.

Reduce the oven to 350°F. Then, pour the pumpkin custard into the warm pie crust.

Bake the pie on the hot sheet pan or pizza stone until the edges are set but the center has a bit of a jiggle, 40-45 minutes. If the filling is too runny, bake it for 5-10 more minutes. If the crust is starting to brown too much, carefully tent it with tinfoil.

Once the pie is done baking, turn off the oven and crack the door. Let it cool in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Then, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for another 60 minutes at room temperature.

Once the pie is room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap or a a reusable bowl cover. Refrigerate the pie until it's completely chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Decorate the chilled pie with pie dough leaves and pumpkins, if desired. Slice the pie and serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the second pie dough until it's 1/8-inch thick. Use mini leaf and pumpkin cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough, re-rolling the scraps as necessary.

Place the pie dough leaves and pumpkins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the leaves and pumpkins with egg wash.

Bake the pie dough leaves and pumpkins for 15-16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until they're deep golden-brown. Cool completely before decorating the pie.