Great Grandma Graham's Pumpkin Pie

This pie is very easy to make and it is something that everyone looks forward to on Thanksgiving.  For a lower fat variation skip the crust and pour into ramekins.  Also note that this makes a lot of filling - it is made for a 10 inch pie pan.  If you are using a smaller pie pan pour the excess filling into a ramekin and bake along with the pie.  My mom always has just enough leftover filling to make a little bowl of crustless filling.  My sister laid claim to it years ago and she eats it every Thanksgiving morning as breakfast.

NO ROLL PIE CRUST
3/4 cup of butter- 1 & 1/2 sticks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat & add both sugar and stir to combine. Stir in flour. Cool 15 minutes (dough will be warm). Spray 10 inch pie pan with non- stick spray. Press dough onto bottom & up the sides of pie pan. Cover & refrigerate at least 30 minutes & up to 24 hours.

PIE FILLING:
2 Cups pumpkin pie filling- 1 can
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon molasses
1 empty pumpkin can full of milk
3 eggs separated-beat the whites until very SOFT peaks and save
Slightly beat the 3 egg yolks, then slowly add and combine all ingredients except egg whites. When mixed well, gently fold in the egg whites. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for about 45 minutes. Center should be rather firm. You may need a pie crust protector ring to reduce the browning of the crust.

OPTIONAL NUT TOPPING:
1 & 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Combine the nuts & brown sugar. After the pie has baked for 45 min. remove crust protector, sprinkle the nut topping around the perimeter of the pie. Continue baking until knife inserted comes out clean. You can broil for 30 seconds to caramelize the brown sugar. Watch the pie carefully to avoid scorching.