Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is my favorite dessert of all time. I need to have it at least once a year or I feel like I might die a little inside. Since gluten and dairy are no longer part of my life and I wouldn't dream of using corn syrup like I did years ago, so I set out to create a cleaned-up version of this holiday favorite. I added the blackstrap molasses to increase the mineral content and give it a more sophisticated flavor and I really liked it.

Given, this is not a low sugar recipe, but since we're all eating such clean, low sugar food the rest of the year, a little treat won't hurt now and then, right? ;-) Give this pie a go and please share your thoughts. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients:

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 cups almond meal/flour
• 1/2 cup organic buckwheat flour (yes, buckwheat is gluten-free!)
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt or sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil or organic pasture butter, cubed
• 2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar or date sugar
• 1 large organic, pasture-raised chicken egg

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together all dry ingredients except the coconut palm sugar until well combined.
2. In a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the coconut oil or butter and coconut palm sugar or date sugar.
3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Remove dough from mixing bowl, form it into a disc about 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until you're ready to roll it out and line your pie tin/dish.

For the Pie Filling:

• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 4 tablespoons organic pasture butter or coconut oil, melted
• 4 large whole organic, pasture-raised chicken eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup pure organic maple syrup
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons bourbon, or dark rum
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups raw, organic pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup (approx.) organic pecan halves to decorate the edge of the pie

Directions: 

1. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie tin or ceramic pie dish (like the one shown), leaving a 1/4 inch overhang. If your dough is too soft to roll out, you can simply press it into your pie shell, working to make it as even a thickness as possible. I use an espresso tamper to press it down.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut palm sugar, butter or coconut oil, 4 whole eggs, maple syrup, honey. molasses, bourbon, and vanilla. Fold in the pecan pieces. Pour filling into pie shell and transfer pie to the oven. 
4. Bake 15 minutes, then remove pie from oven and arrange pecan halves around the edge of the pie. Carefully place the pie back in the oven and bake about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes or until a knife tip comes out clean. If the pie starts to get too brown, cover it with foil and continue baking. Because of the buckwheat in the crust, it will turn out darker but you don't want to burn it.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature with Coconut cream.