Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts with a Sunflower Cookie Crust (Nut-free, Vegan)

veganpumpkinpienutfree (1 of 1)

A couple weeks ago, I received a reader recipe request. Let’s call him “Jason”. Jason asked if I could create a nut-free version of my Raw Pumpkin-Maple Pie with a Baked Oat Crust (found in my cookbook, page 247) because his wife can’t have cashews and pecans. Apparently, it was tormenting her not to be able to try this pie! He wants to surprise her next month with this dessert as a special thank you because “she’s the best wife and mom ever”.

He went on to write, “Angela, I have no clue where to begin and don’t want to mess this up like I usually do.”

I immediately knew that I had to step up to the (pie) plate on this one (no pressure, no pressure!) because the world needs more love. And pie. Plus, I’ve always wondered how I could make this recipe without pecans or cashews, and now I have a nice option to share with you all. I tested multiple fillings and there was a clear winner that I’m sharing below. Spoiler alert – a combo of super luxurious full-fat coconut cream and sunflower seed butter worked so well as a replacement for cashews! It tastes so awesome.

I also paired it with a new toasted sunflower seed and oat “cookie” crust that’s a wonderful, crunchy compliment to the creamy and cool pumpkin pie filling. Pie crusts should never be boring or flavourless, and I love that this one is an easy “press-in” crust.

I meant to have this recipe up on Monday, but I ended up testing this pie about 7 times this week! I can’t sleep at night unless I’ve tested all of my options. Better late than never, I say. I’d rather not rush a recipe just to get it out on time. Anyway, I made this pie as a contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner later today (we’re in the US currently), and I’m so looking forward to the spread at my mom and stepdad’s. I hope those of you celebrating have a happy, fun, and safe Thanksgiving! And if you can’t make this pie today or this weekend, I hope you’ll include it on your holiday baking list.

Well, Jason (you know who you are) I hope this works out for you. If it doesn’t, I’d prefer that you not mention my name.

I’m joking! It’ll work out. Promise.

veganpumpkinpienutfreeglutenfree

Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts with a Sunflower Cookie Crust (Nut-free)

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

This is a luxurious and creamy nut-free version of my favourite Raw Pumpkin Pie from The Oh She Glows Cookbook. After many trials, I ended up using a combination of sunflower seed butter and full-fat coconut cream to replace the cashews in the original recipe, and it worked out so well! The pie has a light coconut flavour, but it’s balanced out nicely by the earthy sunflower seed butter. As a bonus, this filling doesn’t use any whole nuts or whole seeds so you don’t need a Vitamix (or other high powdered blender) to get the filling super smooth. I used 4 tart-sized (about 4-inches diametre) “freestanding” baking cups which I found at Target, but you can also use a standard muffin tin lined with paper liners (or simply greased well) to make mini tarts. I’d imagine a 7-9 inch springform cake pan would work well too. The dough is a bit difficult to shape into a traditional pie crust (with high sides) so that’s why I went with a flat crust for this recipe. If you don’t mind fiddly things, then by all means take a stab at the regular pie crust. Also, the paper liners are easily removed if you remove them while the pies are frozen.

Yield
8-10 servings
Freeze time
24 hours (chill can of coconut milk in the fridge) + 3-5 hours
Prep Time
30 Minutes
Cook time
12 Minutes
Total Time
42 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 3/4 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted*
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons smooth sunflower seed butter (pour off oil before measuring)
  • 2-3 teaspoons water, if needed to bind dough
For the filling:
  • 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut cream**
  • 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted*
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sunflower seed butter
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, to taste***
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For serving:
  • Coconut Whipped Cream (I used So Delicious Coco Whip here)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grab four (4-inch diameter) baking paper cups, or 12 standard muffin paper liners and set aside. You can also use a 7-9 inch springform cake pan greased and lined with a circle of parchment paper.
  2. Add the sunflower seeds into a skillet and toast the seeds over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from heat.
  3. For the crust: Add the toasted sunflower seeds, oats, and salt into a food processor and process until finely chopped, resembling a coarse flour. Now, add the melted oil, maple syrup, and sunflower seed butter, and process until the mixture comes together into a heavy dough. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers very easily. If it’s still a tad too dry, add the optional water and process again until it comes together. I find that I always need 2 teaspoons of water, but it’ll depend on your ingredient’s moisture content.
  4. Divide the dough equally between the liners, crumbling it all over each base. (Note: I reserved about 1/2 cup of the dough for sprinkling on the pies when serving.) Lightly wet your fingers. Starting at the centre, press the dough into the base to form a crust. If the dough starts to stick to your hands at any time, lightly wet your hands and shake off the excess water. Once the crust is all pressed in, poke the base with a fork about 2-3 times to allow the air to escape while baking. I place the 4 liners onto a baking sheet so it’s easy to remove them from the oven.
  5. Bake the crusts for around 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and cool the crusts for at least 15-20 minutes, or longer if you have the time.
  6. For the filling: Open the chilled can of coconut milk. Scoop off 1/2 cup of the white coconut cream only (not the water) and place it into a blender. (You can save the remaining contents of the can for a smoothie or other use.) Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted oil, sunflower seed butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice (to taste, I use 2 tsp), and salt. Blend, starting at a low speed and increasing the speed, until smooth.
  7. Divide the filling equally among the cooled crusts. Carefully, transfer the baking sheet (or muffin tin, if making 12 mini tarts) into the freezer on a flat surface. Chill until firm, about 3-5 hours. There’s no need to cover it.
  8. After the tarts are solid, carefully remove the paper liners. Here you can transfer the pies to the fridge for a mousse-like texture, but I prefer the texture when frozen after sitting on the counter for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  9. Serve with coconut whipped cream on top, if desired. This pie filling softens a great deal at room temperature, so it’s best not to leave leftovers on the counter. Return them to the fridge or freezer for best results.

Tips:

*A note about coconut: Health Canada classifies coconut as a “seed of a fruit” and not as a tree nut, however the U.S. FDA classifies coconut as a tree nut, so as you can see there is some confusion over classification when it comes to coconut. As always, if you think you might be allergic to coconut, be sure to talk to your doctor before consuming.

If you want to minimize the light coconut flavour in this pie, you can use refined (flavourless) coconut oil here rather than virgin.

**Be sure to chill a can of full-fat coconut milk for at least 24 hours before you begin this recipe. When ready, open the can and carefully scoop out 1/2 cup of the white coconut cream making sure not to use any of the coconut water.

***I used 2 teaspoons of Whole Food’s 365 Pumpkin Pie Spice since I’m currently away from home. You can also try my homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix.

veganpumpkinpienutfree1

Oh She Glows

Sarah B’s Breakfast (Cookie) Bars

Breakfast_bars_1

I am guessing that Sarah B from My New Roots hardly needs any introduction? She is one of the most inspiring voices on the plant-based recipe scene, always with a smile and a smoothie on hand. Her way of reinventing traditional dishes into healthier versions of themselves is downright amazing. And if that wasn’t enough, she is one of the nicest and most positive persons we have met.

Her long awaited cookbook has the same concept as the blog, but is printed on beautiful paper and with the recipes divided into seasons (five of them!). There are plenty of inspiration for all flavours here and we have lots of dog-eared recipes yet to try. If you enjoy our type of cooking, you are going to love this book. It’s a gem.

Breakfast_bars_2

I am not sure why we chose to feature this exact recipe, a more colourful one would probably be more representative for the book. I guess we were intrigued by the thought of eating giant shaped cookies for breakfast. The fact that they are vegan and had a can of white beans in them, probably also sparked our curiosity.

Sarah writes that its time to ditch the plastic packaged breakfast bars as they are filled with too much stuff that doesn’t do us any favours. Her bars (or cookies) are loaded with whole-food fiber, protein, healthy fats, real fruit, and as we mentioned above, even beans.

We have already made these quite a few times. They taste really delicious with a hint of orange. Even though they seemed a little crumbly to us at first, they held together very well when baked. We find them perfect to make for a pantry cleaning, as almost any kind of nuts, seeds and dried fruit can be added. We also made one version where we subbed the maple syrup with a ripe banana and two dates. Baby Isac loves them too, and since they are filled with so much good stuff, we love making them for him.

Breakfast_bars_3

Breakfast_bars_4

Fully Loaded Breakfast Bars (Recipe from My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season)
Makes 10 large bars (although we make our bars slightly smaller than Sarah and get 12 bars from one batch.)

1 tablespoon chia seeds
3 1⁄4 cups / 325 g gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1⁄2 cups / 250 g cooked white beans, such as navy, white kidney, or Great Northern (about one 15-ounce / 250 g can)
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml coconut oil, melted
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml pure maple syrup or raw honey
Grated zest of 1 organic orange
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup / 60 g chopped unsulphured dried apricots
1⁄4 cup / 30 g  raisins
1⁄4 cup / 35 g pumpkin seeds
2 cups / 60 g organic, non-GMO cornflakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Combine the chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and set aside for 15 minutes to gel.
Pulse 1 1⁄4 cups / 125 g of the oats in a food processor until they resemble a very rough flour. Transfer the flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the remaining 2 cups / 200 g oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Pulse the beans with the coconut oil in the food processor until the mixture is creamy. Add the maple syrup, orange zest, chia gel, applesauce, and vanilla extract, and pulse until smooth.
Pour the bean puree over the oats mixture and stir until everything starts to come together. Add the apricots, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and cornflakes and stir to combine—you may need to use your hands at this point.
Shape the dough into 10 equal balls, and then flatten each one into a patty shape. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bars are golden. Let cool completely before enjoying. The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

*************

farehealthy-poster_1200

PS! We are coming to London last weekend of September for two different events. We will be talking at the Food Blogger Connect conference at Chiswick House on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September. We are also excited to be talking and cooking at the Fare Healthy festival at Borough Market on Sunday 27th September. Check out their websites for tickets and more info.

Green Kitchen Stories