Pumpkin Pie...without sugar!

Hello :) On Tuesday it was my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday Rosie! Whilst she left the house early for school, I pondered what I'd bake for her. Birthdays naturally lead to baking, of course. Lately, I haven't had too much refined sugar, if any, so keeping with the theme I settled on making a sugar free pumpkin pie. I was a little hesitant at first, whisking up something that was sugar free for a birthday, but my sister has pretty awesome eating habits- so I figured she would be okay! I caught her adding a handful of spinach leaves into her omelette the other day. Oh I have taught her well ;)

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar Cookbook)
Ingredients: the crust
2 cups almond of hazelnut meal (or a combination of both, or you can use LSA)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients: the filling
3 eggs
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1.5 cups pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and cloves, ground
rind of 1 lemon
3/4 coconut cream
1-2 tablespoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon salt

Method-
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Combine melted butter, nut meal and salt in a bowl and mix well (the base holds better the more you work it, releasing the oils in the nuts). Also, mixing this in the actual pie dish works well- no need to use a separate bowl.

2. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie dish- the bottom and sides. If it isn't quite enough mixture, throw in a bit more of both butter and meal (directly into the dish if you like). Cook for 5-8 minutes until it starts to turn golden.

3. Let the crust cool fully (place in fridge or freezer if you have to). Cream eggs and syrup then blend in the rest of the ingredients. If it's a bit too runny, add extra arrowroot. It should be a thin custard consistency.

4. Gently pour the filling into the crust and bake for about 45-55 minutes or until the centre of the pie 'sets' (when it starts to crack away from the base a little is a good sign). Remove from the oven and cool completely before putting in the fridge.

A few notes...before I say the word "yummy and "scrumptious" in as many adjectives!
> Sarah has 3 versions of this pumpkin pie. So here are a few variations...
> Using cream instead of coconut cream
> Substituting butter for coconut butter

...Shall we look at the results?

That is one sweeeeeet pie :) 

Seriously, it is! Sure there's no added sugar, but there's plenty of sweetness from the pumpkin (which I steamed, then mashed), coconut cream and rice syrup. I could have left the crust in the oven for a little longer, but it was still very much enjoyed. I loved all the spices too, and the hint of the lemon really made it pop! I was still a little dubious of what my sister would think after it came out of the oven, thinking perhaps she would sprinkle it with sugar. But no, a squeeze of lemon was all that she added. Nice one, Rosie. You are certainly a sister of mine!

Now the exciting part. It just so happens that Sarah Wilson is running a competition for bloggers (like me!) to post her recipes and go in the running to give away 3 I Quit Sugar Cookbooks to their readers (like you!). This is fun, as I already purchased the book, and planned on making this recipe anyway. So wish me luck :)

Hannah x