Samah Dada
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The Best Mini Vegan Pecan Pies
The best recipe for vegan mini pecan pies, that also happens to be gluten-free! Perfect for the holidays (cough cough, thanksgiving, i'm looking at you) but also for ANY other day…
Growing up, my grandma had a friend named Josephine that my sister Suhaa and I would always hear about from. I never met Josephine nor did I even speak with her on the phone. What I did know was that Josephine made cookies. And wow, she really crushed the game.
“Josephine’s Cookies” as we would dub them (10 points for originality), were these amazing little tarts made with butter and sugar, filled with a crunchy, chewy, nutty center. Truth be told, I don’t exactly even know what was in them, as a kid I probably should have had some foresight that I’d become a chef and would need this information for later but ALAS. Anyway, when I developed this recipe for vegan mini pecan pie, I was transported back 20 years to tasting those amazing little thumbprint cookies out of a tin. It always amazes me that food has the power to take you back to a time, place, emotion or feeling…
Okay, back to why you’re here in the first place! These vegan mini pecan pies were an experiment that went right and I’m thrilled about it. The crust has a crunchy outside, and a chewy inside with a texture that leans more towards aather than a pastry crust. The vegan pecan pie filling comes together easily, and is made with all real, whole ingredients and happens to be gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan. This is one of the best recipes to bring to a thanksgiving or holiday gathering, partly because it's so delicious, but also because it travels well and everyone can easily pick them up and eat them in one or two bites. I’m so proud of this recipe, I can’t wait for you to try it. And everything in mini form is just automatically cuter, we all know that.
ingredients//
Filling
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp creamy pecan butter (can sub almond)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup pecans, crushed
Crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tbsp warm water, left to set aside to thicken)
- 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
method//
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a mini muffin tin with coconut oil.
- Prepare two flax eggs by combining 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 5 tablespoons of water. Set aside to thicken for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, cream together almond butter, melted & cooled coconut oil, and coconut sugar.
- Add flax egg to wet mixture and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, almond flour, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients by adding flour mixture to almond butter mixture.
- Add the unsweetened non-dairy milk to the dough to help mix everything together. Dough should be slightly sticky.
- Press two inch size amounts of dough into the muffin tins, and use your knuckle or finger to create a crater in the center of each tin. Set aside.
Pecan Pie filling
- In a small saucepan, bring maple syrup, coconut sugar, pecan butter, coconut oil, and vanilla extract to a simmer.
- Add in ground flaxseed and almond flour to thicken the mixture. Keep stirring.
- Turn temperature to medium-low and continue to stir for about 10 minutes until everything is well incorporated and mixture has thickened.
- Add the crushed pecans to the mixture. Stir for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat. Now, you must begin to work very quickly as the filling should be poured into the crust when it is hot.
Assembling and Baking
- Pour tablespoon amounts of pecan mixture into each mini pie crust. Fill to the brim but do not overfill. Top each with one pecan (for aesthetics and more crunch)!
- After filling each crust, bake on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, checking to see that the tops have caramelized and sides are golden brown.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and serving.
