Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Cookie Crust

A vegan Thanksgiving would not be complete without a vegan pumpkin pie. I grew my own pumpkins this year, but I am not that motivated to get all covered in pumpkin mush and gooey seeds--so they provided a nice backdrop in my yard instead. I'll stick with the canned pumpkin. And guess what, I did not need to use  evaporated milk and eggs for this! I have to give thanks for the idea to Martha Stewart. She had a delicious looking pumpkin pie in her November issue made with a cookie crust. I loved the idea of a shortbread cookie crust because I have found in the past that sometimes "dough" crusts will not hold their crisp and flakiness. I like a crisp pie crust. This pie passes all of my pie-passing tests. It was full of fall flavor--from the cinnamon group. It was easy. It held up when sliced. It was just delicious--and it holds its own without any whipped cream or other dairy derivative slathered across the top. This is truly a delicious vegan pie!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Cookie Crust

For the vegan cookie crust:

4 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter Stick
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (I used Florida Crystals--you might like brown sugar, too)
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer with 1 tablespoon warm water
3/4  cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil a 9" pie pan. Mix your egg replacer stuff and set aside. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse several times to get a crumbly texture. Pour the crumbs into the pie plate and begin to press down and around and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes--until the edges of the crust begin to brown.

For the filling:

3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons warm water
1 cup Silk Soy Creamer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Florida Crystals sugar
1 can pumpkin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (for good measure)

First, prep your egg replacer. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. With a spoon, mix well. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake for 60 minutes or a bit longer. The sides should set, the middle can be a bit shaky--but almost set. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Next, place in fridge and allow to cool and set for about six hours. Slice and enjoy!