Courtesy of Sarah Helsley, Chef de Cuisine, The Little Nell 

There are a lot of steps here, but the result is a sweet treat!

For the graham cracker crust:

8 ounces unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the butter, sugars, and honey together. In a separate bowl, sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the butter and sugar in three parts. Roll the dough out on a well floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Place the dough in a 9 inch pie pan and trim the overlap to ½ inch all the way around. Pinch the overlap so it forms a crimped edge that stands up on the rim of the pie dish, this may take some practice. Refrigerate the shell while preparing the filling.

For the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

16 ounce can pumpkin or homemade pumpkin or squash puree

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, add sugar and spices. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla, and mix until well incorporated.

To assemble the pie:

½ cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

Chilled, prepared pie shell

Pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the melted chocolate in an even layer on the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the filling into the shell and bake for 40 minutes or until the center of the filling is set. Chill the pie well before decorating.

For the marshmallow topping:

½ cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

Block of your favorite chocolate, for garnish

1 package large marshmallows

Spread the melted chocolate over the chilled pie and return it to the refrigerator. While the chocolate is setting up, put the marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 45 second intervals. Stir the marshmallows between each interval until they are melted and smooth. Place the melted marshmallows in a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip, or place in a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag and cut off one of the bottom corners. Starting around the edge of the pie, pipe quarter-size dots, pulling the bag away after each dot to make a spiked top. Continue piping until you finish in the center of the pie. If the marshmallow is not holding its shape allow it to cool a little before piping more, but if the marshmallow is too cold it will break off before it makes the spike. In this case put the marshmallow back in the microwave, be mindful if you are using a metal piping tip not to put it in the microwave as well. Allow the marshmallow to cool completely before finishing. To finish the pie you will need a culinary torch or can set the broiler in your oven to high. If using a torch, hold the flame about 6 inches from the marshmallows and work around the pie until the tips of the spikes are golden brown; be careful not to catch the marshmallow on fire. If using the broiler place the pie 6-8 inches under the heating element and allow it to brown. Keep a close eye on the top because it will brown quickly. Make shavings from the block of chocolate with a vegetable peeler. Garnish the pie with shavings.