Add flour, sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Transfer flour mixture to a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Add cubed cold butter to the flour mixture, pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size. Variations in size are okay.

Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to mix up the flour at the bottom.

Turn the dough out on the counter or cutting board, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Optional: If you want to add cutout decoration to the pie, make a second pie crust. You may only need about half of the second pie crust for the decoration, freeze the rest for another recipe.

Take the disk of pie dough out of the fridge and roll into a circle about 2” larger than your pie dish. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and roller.

Carefully place the dough over the pie dish, lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pie dish, let the excess dough hang over the side.

If not making decoration, trim the excess dough leaving just enough to fold under and create a fluted edge. If making decoration, trim the excess dough right up to the edge of the pie dish and let it lay flat.

Cover the pie dish with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated or freeze for 15 - 30 minutes.

If making decoration, take out the second disk of pie dough, roll it out to between ⅛”-¼” and cut out shapes with pie stamps. Set them on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze.

Once the pie dough has frozen solid, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Use a fork to poke steam vents on the bottom of the pie dough and on the sides as well.

Place a large piece of parchment paper over the frozen pie dough, place pie weights on top or pour dry beans on top to fill the whole pie crust. Make sure the parchment is large enough to cover the edges of the crust entirely.

Bake pie crust for 25 minutes with pie weights or beans, then remove weights and bake another 5 minutes. Then remove pie crust from the oven and let cool completely.

Beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk to make egg wash.

Add decorations to the pie crust by brushing the flat edge with egg wash and sticking the cutout shapes to it, overlapping each shape as you go, adding egg wash wherever necessary as glue for the crust decorations. Once finished, refrigerate or freeze the pie crust while making the pie filling.

Place softened cream cheese and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl and beat together until smooth.

Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until completely incorporated and smooth.

Add pure canned pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice, whisk until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Take the prepared pie crust out of the fridge or freezer and place it on a baking sheet. Brush egg wash on crust decorations. Use long strips of foil to make a pie shield covering the edge and decorations.

Pour pie filling into the crust and bake for 70 - 80 minutes until the middle is still slightly jiggly.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight before serving.