Maple and Spice Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Maple and Spice Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust is my new favorite way to enjoy the classic pumpkin pie, with updated flavors! The gingersnap crust is gluten free and so simple! It’ll be on your holiday dessert table in no time. 

I hope you all took a nice rest from the pumpkin overload that came during October and then for Thanksgiving and are ready to give it a go again. I know that pumpkin pie makes a second appearance on the Christmas table for so many families, so I have a spin on it that will be a new favorite for sure! Did I mention it’s gluten free? Of course it is! Dig in!

I made this pie at Thanksgiving and it went over really well with my whole family. I love pumpkin pie, but I wanted one with a gluten free crust. Because the holiday cooking can get to be too much (a thousand dishes being baked and prepped at once), I wanted a VERY simple crust, so I turned to a cookie crust!

The gingersnap crust is perfect with the pumpkin filling! It adds a sharp spice yet it’s so buttery and subtly sweet that it doesn’t overtake the whole flavor of the pie. I love it. (And I’m not even a gingersnap fan!) I found these cookies at Trader Joe’s but I’m sure there’s a brand in other stores that works just as well (and the 8 ounce bag is the perfect size, resulting in one crust per bag of cookies).

There’s a secret ingredient in my pumpkin pie, besides the maple syrup! I added ½ of a sweet potato! It’s crazy, because I’m not a huge sweet potato fan either (I know, I know), yet the silky and thick texture and natural sweetness only enhance this pie without needing to add extra eggs or use heavy cream! Brilliance. You can leave it out and your pie will cook up just as fine, but I promise, if you include it you won’t be sorry! Just bake up a sweet potato a day or two in advance and have it in the fridge waiting for when you’re ready to make the pie!

I hope this pie becomes a secret weapon in your holiday pie arsenal! I know it’ll be in mine for a long time to come. Plus, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas is a MUST for my family (it’s my husband’s favorite pie ever), so having a spin on it keeps things fresh and fun.

[let it be noted that every single time I tried to type “pumpkin” I wrote “punkin” …because I’m a slang-slurrin’ girl during the holidays apparently]

Maple and Spice Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust

2014-12-16 10:48:12

Maple and Spice Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust is my new favorite way to enjoy the classic pumpkin pie, with updated flavors! The gingersnap crust is gluten free and so simple (as is the rest of the pie!)! It'll be on your holiday dessert table in no time.

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Crust

1. 1 (8 ounces) bag of gluten free gingersnap cookies (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
2. 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
3. 1 Tbs. raw or coconut sugar
4. pinch of sea salt

Filling

1. 1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin puree
2. ½ cooked sweet potato, without the skin (optional, see Note)
3. ½ cup coconut sugar
4. ¼ cup maple syrup
5. 1 egg
6. ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or any nut/alterna- milk)
7. ½ tsp. salt
8. 1 tsp. vanilla extract
9. ½ tsp. cinnamon
10. ¼ tsp. allspice
11. ¼ tsp. cloves

For the crust

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pie dish (9”) with nonstick spray.
2. Use a food processor, high power blender (I used my Vitamix), or your strong muscles to crush the cookies into fine crumbs (don’t worry if there are a few pea-size pieces, I won’t tell anyone).
3. Transfer crumbs to a bowl. Melt your butter, and add your butter, sugar and salt to the cookie crumbs. Stir until completely combined.
4. Pour the crust mixture into your pie dish. Use your hands to press it into the dish and up the sides creating an even crust.
5. Bake for 9 minutes. Set on a wire rack while you finish preparing the filling.

For the filling

1. In the bowl of your mixer (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the pumpkin and sugars (and sweet potato if you’re using it; see Note). Beat together on medium speed until smooth, then add the egg and beat until combined. Turn down the speed, and slowly add the milk while mixing. Finally add all of the spices and mix until smooth.

Prepare your pie

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pour your batter into prepared pie crust. Bake for 15 mintues. Then, lower the oven heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle. If the crust seems to be getting too dark as it’s baking, I like to form a piece of foil into a ring (I snip the center with scissors then manipulate it until I have a hollow ring, mimicking the size of the pie dish I’ve used) and place it on top of your pie so just the filling of the pie is visible (just the crust is covered).
3. When the pie is done, place on a wire rack to cool before cutting and serving. I like to serve mine with a dollop of whipped cream (or rice whip or whipped coconut cream) and a sprinkle of pomegranate arils for a pop of color.

Notes

1. The sweet potato is my secret ingredient here. Adding ½ of a cooked (baked or steamed) sweet potato to the pie gives it an unrecognizable depth of flavor and adds to the thick, silky texture. I highly recommend it, but it’s not 100% necessary.

By Melissa @ Treats With a Twist

Treats With a Twist https://www.treatswithatwist.com/