Archives for pie

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Swirl Crust

November 23, 2016 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | Comments Off on Apple Pie with Cinnamon Swirl Crust

For Thanksgiving a few years ago, I offered to do the pies, and cranberry chutney. As part of my duties, I was determined to create an over-the-top, unique apple pie that was also vegan. I wanted to figure out a way to combine apple pie with cinnamon roll cookies.

I know, right!?

Not only did it sound fantastic, I thought it would look really cool too! I pulled it off and it’s so good, I wanted to share it again this holiday season. Sure, this pie crust takes a little more time, but you can make it ahead of time and just bake it the morning of Thanksgiving. Have fun with it!

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Apple Pie Filling for 9″ pie:
1/3 c. organic sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
~ 10 cups of thinly sliced and peeled apples (pink lady or granny smith work best)
(Depending on size, the amount of apples varies. If they are small 9 apples, if they are large about 5.)

  1. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Toss in sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Crust Ingredients for 9″ pie:
2 1/2 c. organic, sprouted spelt flour (can also use gluten-free)
pinch of salt (optional)
1 c. Earth Balance buttery sticks, frozen
1/2 c. very cold water
Cinnamon, as much or as little as you want
2-3 TBSP organic white sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F

Making the Dough

  1. Shave the frozen buttery sticks on a cheese grater, into a bowl
  2. Sprinkle the flour (and salt if using) over the grated buttery sticks. Toss with a fork to coat butter, with flour. Smash down with fork to combine.
  3. Add the 1/2 c. COLD water, and using your hands, smash and knead to combine into a buttery dough ball. (The goal is to still have chunks of butter, not to combine it all until mushy.)
  4. Flatten dough ball and coat with flour and place on a floured surface. Roll out dough until it is about 1/4″ thick.
  5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
  6. Cut the rolled out dough in half, down the middle, to get the top and bottom crusts.
  7. Roll each half as tight as you can.
  8. Using a sharp knife, cut the cinnamon roll/crust slices about 1/4″ thick for each roll. Keep the two rolls separate to ensure you have enough for both the top and bottom of the pie.

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Forming the Crust Bottom

  1. Starting in the center of a 9″ pie dish, place a single slice of cinnamon swirl dough. Forming a flower pattern almost, place up to 10 more swirls around the center slice, ensuring the edges are close and touching. Gently push down and flatten into dish. Continue adding slices until you cover the whole pie dish.
  2. Make sure there are no holes, or the pie filling will ooze through and cause sticking when you slice and remove after baking. Once the entire bottom and sides of the pie dish are covered, add sugar and cinnamon coated apples.

Forming the Crust Top

  1. For the top crust. Tape a pice of parchment paper to your counter, or hold it down with weights so it doesn’t curl. Lay all the slices in a flat, circular layer, with edges slightly overlapping — similar to the bottom crust.
  2. Again, using your hand flatten the pieces into one another. To really flatten and roll it out, place another piece of parchment paper on top of slices. Using a rolling pin, roll over the slices, until they start to meld together and make the crust large enough to cover the pie. The rolled out slices should be about 1/4″ thick or thinner.
  3. Once it is sized correctly. Use the parchment paper that is taped to the counter to help you lift the rolled slices off the counter and quickly flip onto the apple topping.
  4. Pinch the edges of the top layer together with the edges of the bottom layer.
  5. Cut holes in the top layer to vent for steam.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes. Be sure to watch the crust closely so it doesn’t get too brown. (NOTE: If you make this ahead of time, cover it with foil before refrigerating. Once you are ready to bake it, let it sit on the counter for about an hour to bake, OR place in the oven while you preheat it. This will allow it to warm up a little before baking.)
  7. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving, if you can. 🙂

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Below is a slideshow, if you prefer visuals with your instructions. It was fun and easy, just takes a little time. 🙂

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Banana and Coconut Cream Pie

June 25, 2012 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | Comments Off on Banana and Coconut Cream Pie

Are you drooling yet? I was when my sister sent me the original recipe! The absolutely amazing part about this pie is that it is made without any dairy AND is probably better than any I’ve tried over the years. : O

That’s right, dairy free and amazing! Full fat coconut milk is my new best friend. 😀

First off, don’t let the ingredient list and amount of steps scare you away. It is actually very easy to make, but you should allow for a full 24 hours to make it, to allow fridge-firming time, etc.

Plan ahead: Place the Mimiccreme box in the fridge the day before OR in the freezer for at least 45 minutes before using. If you want extra whipped topping, also place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge the day before as well.

8″ pie crust
12 graham cracker sheets ground in a food processor to make 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
3-5 tbsp. vegan butter or margarine (I used 3 and I think 5 would have made a firmer crust)
1 small banana

Add the butter to the crumbs and incorporate using your hands until all the crumbs are covered in butter. Gently start pressing the crumb and butter mixture into the pie pan to form the crust. Bake crust at 350°F in toaster oven or oven for 5-10 minutes or until the crust starts to turn golden. Once the pie crust has baked, thinly slice a banana and place slices onto bottom of crust.

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Banana Coconut Filling

1 tbsp agar agar (vegan gelatin)
3/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (this can does not need to be refrigerated, that is for the topping)
2 tbsp coconut oil
Process the below ingredients in a food processor or blender and set aside.
14 oz. pkg. silken tofu
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 small banana

Heat the agar agar, maple syrup and coconut milk over high heat until it starts to boil. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut oil, stirring until dissolved. (I keep my coconut oil in the fridge cause it melts in the hot AZ pantry in the summer at 80°F, so it’s completely solid.)

Add the heated mixture to the food processor containing the tofu, salt, vanilla and banana. Process until creamy. Pour into prepared crust. Add a few more banana slices to the pie filling if you’d like. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow to set and firm up.

Creamy Banana Topping
1 box Mimiccreme’s Healthy Top (I got mine at Whole Foods – place in fridge overnight or freezer for at least 30 minutes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 small ripe banana (processed until smooth and then refrigerated for 30 minutes)
refrigerated bowl and whisk/beaters

Place all the cold contents into an electric mixer and process on high speed for about 3 minutes, or until desired thickness is obtained. Spread over pie, and pile it on! This actually made quite a bit more topping than I needed, so I froze the rest – we’ll see how that works out for a future use. Maybe I can use it like Cool Whip and put it on my Coconut Banana Ice Cream?

Refrigerate pie overnight before slicing to allow for maximum firmness!

Now, you can also add even more whipped cream – but I didn’t. I figured we had enough calories! But that is where the chilled can of full fat coconut milk comes in. Simply whip it at full speed until desired thickness and serve as a whipped topping. You can also add your favorite sweetener if desired before whipping. Do this right before serving the pie.

Also, I added a few slices of fresh banana to each piece before serving. 

While I was photographing this slice, I had a hard time NOT EATING IT. It wasn’t holding up very well in the AZ heat anyway, so I did this slice a favor. I DID start eating it! I had to save it!! It was so freaking good. It may or may not have been my breakfast… [burp]. I will definitely use more butter on the crust next time to help it hold together better. It tasted amazing, but it didn’t come out of the pie pan very easily.