I’m craving fall! Every year around this time, I’m wishing summer would hurry up and end so that beautiful autumn will arrive. This summer has been dreadfully hot and I’m more than ever eager to see it go. And this fall, my son will turn one year old! I love fall: the weather, the leaves, the sights, the smells, the flavors… When I think of fall comfort foods, and desserts, I of course first think of pumpkin, and then of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, apple, smoke, clove… and -oh-yeah- sweet potatoes!
This recipe is a spin-off of two recipes I made: mini pumpkin pies and mashed sweet potatoes (which I have not yet posted). This pie is so full of the flavors of fall. It’s crust is a crumb-crust made with Annie’s gluten-free snickerdoodle bunnies and it is topped with Dandies vegan marshmallows. The marshmallows were added at the end of the baking time, and as you can see, they melted together and created an incredible frosting-like layer of chewy-sweet-marshmallow-goodness. This pie would be the absolute perfect pie to bring to a pot-luck, or to make for Thanksgiving dinner. I promise you, no one would ever guess it’s vegan or gluten-free. And even the most avoid-all-vegan-foods-naysayer would gobble up a slice (or two) of this pie. It’s seriously so delicious.
Sweet Potato Pie (Vegan, Gluten-free)
Crust: 2/3 c. gluten-free cookie crumbs* (I used Annie’s snickerdoodle bunnies)
1/4 c. almond meal (almond flour)
3 Tbsp. natural sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice
4 Tbsp. melted vegan butter (I used Earth Balance soy-free)
Pie: 2 1/2 c. sweet potato puree**
3/4 c. natural sugar
1/4 c. almond meal (almond flour)
1/4 c. almond milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Marshmallow topping: about 1/2 to 3/4 bag of Dandies vegan marshmallows – or enough to cover the top of the pie.
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.
For the crust, combine the cookie crumbs, almond meal, sugar and spices in a bowl. Add the melted vegan butter and combine. Press the crust mixture on the bottom of a glass pie plate. It’s okay if the crust mixture does not reach up all of the sides of the pie plate. Lightly brush a little olive oil (or melted vegan butter) around the edges of the glass if the crust mixture didn’t cover it all.
For the pie filling, combine the sweet potato puree, sugar, almond meal, almond milk, vanilla, spices, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy (I used a stand mixer to do this). Pour the filling over the crumb crust in the prepared pie plate and smooth it over with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and top it with the marshmallows. Place back in the oven and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes, or until the tops of the marshmallows are lightly browned and very puffy.
Allow to cool completely before serving! If you attempt to slice and serve the pie while it is still warm, it will be very gooey and fall apart (but still delicious). This pie tastes absolutely best the next day when it has been chilled overnight.
*to make the cookie crumbs, place about one cup of cookies in a blender or food processor and coarsely chop them into crumbs – or crush the cookies with the bottom of a cup or with your hands.
**to make the sweet potato puree, boil 2-3 large sweet potatoes until they are soft and a fork can pierce them easily. Allow to cool before removing skins, then whip them using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, or in a blender or food processor, until they have a smooth consistency.
Enjoy this pie at a fall-time family get-together, or at the end of summer when you are dreaming of autumn weather (like I did).
RansomCakes! 