Although Thanksgiving is already over, it’s always a good idea to be thankful and eat pie!
Since I lived in the US, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s all about spending time with your loved ones and cooking and eating delicious food. while I am not a huge fan of the turkey itself, I am a big fan of all the side dishes such as stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and of course pie! Especially pecan pie is a must-have dessert on every Thanksgiving table. But the traditional version comes with a ton of sugar, and most recipes even call for corn syrup – no thanks! So I was looking for a healthier version and found the perfect recipe from mynewroots. It’s gluten-free, vegan, has no refined sugar, and adds cranberries for some tartness. It looks and tastes quite different to the original version … but I think it’s much better!
This recipe uses some ingredients you might not usually have in your pantry. There are some substitutions I can think of (but haven’t tested yet). If you can’t find barley malt syrup (or Gerstenmalz for my German readers), you could substitute with maple syrup. Since maple syrup is more liquid than barley malt syrup, I would reduce the amount slightly. Arrowroot powder (or Pfeilwurzstärke) is a white, powdery starch that’s naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan and helps to thicken the filling. You could replace it with tapioca starch or traditional cornstarch (Speisestärke).
What I also like about Thanksgiving is that it comes without the commonly disliked pre-Christmas stress of buying gifts. It’s a time to pause and reflect and be thankful. Gratitude is so important, and yet we so often forget to appreciate what we have…. I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends who are always there for me!
Love,
Marion
pecan cranberry pie
A healthy twist on the traditional sugar-loaded version. Recipe slightly adapted from <a href='https://www.mynewroots.org/site/'>my new roots</a>.
Ingredients
- For the base:
- 150g gluten-free oats
- 60ml ghee (or coconut oil if vegan)
- 60ml maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- For the filling:
- 200g pecans
- 120ml barley malt syrup (gerstenmalz)
- 50ml maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons tahini or nut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (pfeilwurzpulver)
- 150g cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm pie pan with ½ tablespoon of the ghee.
- Step 2 Place oats in a food processor and blend until a fine flour forms. In a bowl, mix with ghee, maple syrup, salt, and nutmeg.
- Step 3 Form a ball and transfer to the pie pan. Press the dough into the pan and up the sides (2cm). Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork, to prevent bubbles.
- Step 4 Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Step 5 For the filling, spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Coarsely chop 140g of the pecans (you can use a food processor).
- Step 6 In a separate bowl, mix barley malt syrup, maple syrup, tahini, vanilla extract, cinnamon, arrowroot powder, and beat well until combined.
- Step 7 Add the chopped pecans and fold in cranberries. Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and decorate with remaining pecans.
- Step 8 Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
