Cranberry Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

Pies are not my thing. I would choose a nice flakey brownie or creme brûlée over pie any day of the week. But when your family asks you specifically to bring a pie to the great Thankful family gathering of 2014, you step up to the plate and  learn how to bake a pie. And since I wasn’t the only one asked to bring pie, I didn’t want to fall into the ‘plain pumpkin’ category, so off to the inter webs I went. And wouldn’t you know there are a TON of alternate recipes to the plain old pumpkin pie that I was simply unaware of. And then, in the midst of all my google searing, it came to me… Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie.

So off to my local Trader Joes I went, in search of the very few, but very tasty ingredients to make this amazing sounding Pumpkin Pie. But wouldn’t you know it, Trader Joes doesn’t carry plain Apple Butter this time of year?!? But the heavens were smiling as they delivered to my Cranberry Apple Butter instead. And holy moly, as a girl who loves a little punch of tart in her sweet this was just what my taste buds wanted. No extra sugar added, or needed, and should you so desire a paleo crust could be used, making this pie 100% paleo. Yup, natural and tasty.

INGREDIENTS

Paleo Pie Crust

• 2 c almond flour
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg

Cranberry Apple Butter Pie Filling

• 1 container Trader Joes cranberry apple butter
• 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin (Libby’s is the best)
• 1 cup coconut milk, full fat
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon, if needed
• pinch of sea salt
• Sweetener, adjust to taste (I didn’t use any – but my cranberry apple butter was very sweet).
• 3 eggs, whisked

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine all ingredients and form into a ball.
3. Place dough on pie or tart pan – will take several minutes to form.
4. Poke dough with fork before putting in oven
5. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes (will bake this longer once you add the filling).

Filling

1. Combine the cranberry apple butter, pumpkin, spices and coconut milk. Taste and then adjust amount of sweetener (if needed).
2. Whisk arrowroot in a teeny tiny bit of cold water (~1-2 tsp) to remove clumps then add it to the mixture along with the eggs. Stir well.

Assemble and Bake

1. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
2. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until the middle of the pie is mostly set. Do the knife or toothpick test – the toothpick should be mostly clean.
3. Cool the pie to room temp and let it set in the fridge for a couple hours before slicing and serving.

Enjoy your thankful day – wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

just love
//kelly