Pumpkin Mug Pie With Toffee And Caramel

So remember last week when I posted on Facebook that I only had five more likes to 10,000?

Well. While I was writing that, my brother Tay happened to be hovering over shoulder, as usual. As soon as the words, "five more likes away from 10,000" flew off my fingers onto the screen, he started going crazy.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY EVERYBODY!" he bellowed, throwing his hands in the air and Jack-Sparrowing all the way to the living room computer.

He came back panting with relief a few minutes later, not noticing my glazed expression.

"Don't worry, I did it," he said smugly, "I am your 10,000th like."

Silence.

"What?" he said.

"You never liked my page before?" I said at last, "How dare you."

Not that it really matters that much I suppose. He usually gets to see all the food in real life, anyway.

So, let's talk about this mug pie. I love pumpkin pie, don't get me wrong, but when I'm in need of an instant mug full of dessert, it's pretty much always going to involve more chocolate than the meager crust on those toffee bits. However, there are some human beings who crave things like pie. My sister, Nemo, is one of them and it was for her that this mug pie was made.

Making a mug pie is easy. Just throw all the ingredients in a mug and then stick it in the microwave for a few minutes. I like to turn the power down about 50% so that it cooks more evenly. For me, it took about 7 1/2 minutes. Just do it till a knife comes out pretty clean.

Unfortunately, stabbing a knife in is going to make an ugly little puncture wound on top of your beautiful pie.

This is blemish is easily hidden.

Pumpkin Mug Pie
Note: If you want a crust, try moistening some graham cracker crumbs with some butter and pressing them into the bottom!
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned, naturally)
1/4 cup heavy cream*
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of ginger
A pinch of cloves
A pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all the ingredients in a large mug. If your mug is too small, try two mugs or a microwavable bowl. Turn the microwave power down to 50% power. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out pretty clean. You could also try doing it at full power for less time. If you do that, I would start with maybe 2 minutes and then try every 30 seconds till it's done. Cool in the refrigerator (or freezer) and top with whipped cream, recipe here).
*If you're dairy free, try coconut or almond milk. If you just want a skinny version, regular milk would probably work alright.