Pie Crust:

1. Lightly grease a 9″ pie plate and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening and butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in a few tablespoons of water, adding just enough additional water to make a soft dough.
3. Divide dough into two discs and wrap well. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.
4. Once the crust is chilled, preheat oven to 350ºF.

Leaf Crust:

1. I use the second disc to cut out leaves to decorate the pie later, but this is optional. You can use the second disc for another pie or wrap well and freeze for later use.
2. Remove one of the discs and place between two pieces of parchment paper. If dough is sticky, you can sprinkle flour over the dough before rolling.
3. Roll dough into a large circle. Use a variety of small leaf cutters to cut out as many leaves as possible. These will decorate the pie later.
4. Place cut outs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with milk of choice (optional).
5. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Pie Crust:

1. Meanwhile, roll out the other disc of dough into a 12″ circle, a few inches larger than the pie plate. Continue to sprinkle dough with additional flour to keep it from sticking to the paper.
2. Carefully transfer dough to the pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the edges of the plate.
3. Fold the rough edges under itself and crimp. (You can use the photo above as a guide to how I crimped this crust.) Brush with milk.

Pumpkin Filling:

1. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add pumpkin puree, sugar, corn starch, spices, milk, and vanilla beating until smooth.
2. Pour filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the filling begins to firm up and the crust is golden brown.
3. Remove and let pie cool fully. The center may still be a little jiggly, but will firm up as it cools.
4. Once the pie is cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours.
5. Once chilled, decorate with leaves and serve.