Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie (Paleo)

Grain free, egg free, and full of flavor! Baked using just a touch of organic cane sugar in the crust only, this is a must because just a little bit of cane sugar creates such a nice texture. The main sweetener in this pie is maple syrup, complex and full of flavor. Maple syrup is one of the healthier sweeteners, containing zinc, manganese, calcium, and potassium. Though maple syrup is still very sweet, it should be eaten in moderation. This pie is delicious, much more delicious than the pumpkin pie of my youth, which were mostly purchased at the grocery store. Are you looking for a vegan and grain free version? Try substituting coconut oil for butter. In my personal recipe experimentation, coconut oil is a little bit more oily than butter, so if substituting coconut oil, reduce amount by about 1 tsp. in each the crust and filing. I hope you enjoy.

Pie Crust

2 c. walnut halves and pieces

1/2 c. arrowroot flour

2 T. butter, softened (sub coconut oil for vegan)

2 T. maple syrup

2 T. organic cane sugar

3 T. ground flaxseed

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Grind walnuts in a high-powered blender or Vitamix until they are fine and begin to hold together. Using a spatula to get as much of the ground walnuts as possible, pour walnuts into a bowl. Add all other crust ingredients and stir with a fork or wooden spoon. Turn out crust mixture into a buttered 9 inch pie plate. With your fingers and palm of your hand, press dough into bottom of plate gradually working the dough up the sides to form a crust. Pinch the edge of the crust to form an even ledge all the way around. The crust usually ends up about half way up the sides of my pie plate, this is not a deep-dish version. Pre-bake pie crust for 5 minutes at 350 F.

Pie Filling

15 oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 c. maple syrup

2 T. melted butter (sub coconut oil for vegan)

2 T. arrowroot flour

1 T. coconut flour

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add all other ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into pre-baked pie shell and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours before serving.