Coconut Pumpkin Pie

This is my latest version of the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. It's not 100% Paleo, not grain-free, not dairy-free, not sugar-free. Instead, I decided to keep it as nutritious as possible while emphasizing flavor and yumminess. If you don't care for coconut, this is not the pie for you.

There are many Paleo pumpkin pie recipes out there which use coconut milk as the main liquid in the filling. I decided to go for something richer and creamier, so I substituted coconut cream. You can find this product at Trader Joe's. It comes in a can and is unsweetened.

For the crust, I played with a recipe I posted on this blog a few years ago. Along with raw pepitas, I added unsweetened flaked coconut to the crust. Instead of rolling it out, I dumped the dough from the food processor straight into the pie pan, pressed it in with my fingers, and VOILA! Pie crust done!

Ingredients:

CRUST

1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or spelt flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 TB cold butter (grassfed if possible)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 TB cold water

Preheat oven to 350F. Place all dry ingredients in bowl of food processor. Pulse until pumpkin seeds are finely ground. Add butter and pulse again until mixture forms small crumbs the size of peas. Add vinegar and water. Pulse until dough begins to stick together. Dump mixture into the bottom of a deep dish Pyrex pie pan. Press with fingertips up the sides and then along the bottom of pan to form crust. Chill crust in fridge for at least 20 minutes. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool before adding pie filling.

FILLING

15 oz can pumpkin puree
13 oz can coconut cream
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in large bowl and blend with handheld mixer or blender. When smooth, pour filling into prepared crust and bake at 375F for about 45-50 minutes or until set. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely before chilling. Serve cold or at room temperature with whipped cream. Makes about 8 servings.