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Adding Fireball and RumChata pumps up the flavor in a Thanksgiving classic

‘Which one do you like best?' This is the question I recently asked a group of friends after presenting them with two different pumpkin pie fillings. The sampling began, and despite their persistence, I did not share the difference between the two pies. Little did they know, one pie contained Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, and the other was made with RumChata liqueur. Some commented, “this one seems to have more cinnamon” to “this one tastes sweeter,” but in the end, the majority of the group preferred the Fireball pie. While I liked both, I found myself leaning toward the RumChata version, so I decided to share both recipes with you.

Did you know 80% of the world's pumpkin is grown and processed by Libby's in nearby Morton, Illinois? According to Libby's, you can travel 50 miles out in any direction from Morton, and you'll see farms planted with our Libby's Select seed. Libby's pumpkin of choice is a variety of the Dickinson pumpkin. It belongs to the squash species known as Cucurbita moschata, characterized most notably by the butternut squash, as well as cheese pumpkins, Canada crookneck, long neck pumpkin, and others. Libby's pumpkins have bright orange flesh, but the outside is the color of its cousin, the butternut squash.

The pumpkin pie recipe I have used for years is found on the back of Libby's pumpkin can. Eggs, sugar, spices, and evaporated milk are added to canned pumpkin, but in other recipes, sweetened condensed milk is used instead. And just because everything changes, Libby's recently released a new recipe containing both kinds of milk.

While the names may sound similar, please don't be fooled, evaporated and sweetened condensed milk are two very different products and should not be substituted for one another. Evaporated milk is just that; milk that has been heated gently, not boiled, until approximately 60% of the water has evaporated. On the other hand, sweetened condensed milk takes things a bit further by adding sugar to evaporated milk to make an almost syrup-like mixture.

I was introduced to Fireball Whiskey and Rumchata by my niece, Julia, who once made me a Cinnamon Toast Crunch “shot” made with equal parts of both. I have probably had less than 10 shots in my life, but this one was memorable and dangerously tasty. That experience wasn't enough to make me run out and buy bottles of the adult beverages. Still, when my aunt started drinking Rumchata over a little ice after dinner, or with a bit of root beer to make a spiked root beer float-tasting concoction, I bought myself a bottle of my own.

A bottle of Fireball entered my life just for this recipe. Fireball has a spicy-sweet cinnamon flavor and tastes like liquid Red Hots cinnamon candy, or maybe cinnamon-flavored Dentyne gum, and it has a definite kick. The Fireball website boasts, “If you haven't tried it yet, just imagine what it feels like to stand face-to-face with a fire-breathing dragon who just ate a whiskey barrel full of spicy cinnamon.”

Rumchata, on the other hand, provides a warm, almost cinnamon roll flavor. The RumChata folks say it is the “Perfect blend of Rum, Cream, Cinnamon and Vanilla. We hand-selected them from all around the world. It's not easy crafting the best tasting cream liqueur in the Universe, but it's a challenge we've taken head-on.” Personally, I think they did a good job.

But, do either of these cinnamon-flavored alcohols belong in pumpkin pie? I say yes, or they are at least worth a try. Both add cinnamon flavor, one a bit more zing than the other, and work well with the spices we associate with pumpkin pie. For a little extra flavor, add a teaspoon, or two, to your homemade whipped cream to top the pie.

You will notice other differences in the recipes, too; the Fireball recipe one uses evaporated milk while the RumChata recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk. Both include sugar, but one uses a lesser amount of brown sugar than the white sugar measurement in the other. In the end, I'm not sure these differences matter, but what is essential is that you measure carefully and bake the pies until set in the middle to ensure that creamy pumpkin texture we love.

So, if you are up for a little adventure this Thanksgiving, try one of these recipes. The bonus will be a bottle of liquid cinnamon to use in other recipes too. Happy Thanksgiving!

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