Caramel Brandy Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream
A rich, smooth pumpkin pie topped with a sweet caramel sauce and coconut whip cream. Dairy free, gluten free. For the recipe, I came across an idea for the caramel tahini-based sauce and thought I would try adding Brandy to this and top the pie with this sauce and whipped coconut cream. If a tablespoon of brandy in the sauce is too much alcohol content (it can interfere with meds), omit or use a flavoring instead of the alcoholic stuff. The filling is inspired by the recipe my Grandma uses. These were made in a muffin tin because there is only one of me and I will freeze some.
Individual mini pies can also be blended easily with a bit of milk for one serving.
Ingredients
Crust
- ¼ c Margarine (vegan)
- 1 c Almond flour
- 1 Tbsp White sugar
Filling
- 3 Eggs
- 14 oz Canned pumpkin (no spices)
- ½ c White sugar
- ½ c Corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp Corn syrup
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ginger
- ¼ tsp Cloves
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Margarine (vegan)
Brandy Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons tahini (or try other nut or seed butter)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (solid)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brandy
Coconut Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup coconut cream (I used creamed coconut. If you can’t find this then scrape the thick cream off the top of a can of regular coconut milk, reserving the liquid for blending.)
- 3 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
STEPS FOR CRUST
1) Mix sugar and flour and cut the margarine into the mixture.
2) Press into ONLY the bottom of muffin tins. Make sure you grease the sides.
STEPS FOR PUMPKIN FILLING
1) Beat eggs lightly in mixing bowl.
2) Add and mix the rest of the ingredients in order.
PUT CRUST AND FILLING TOGETHER…
1) Pour filling into greased muffin tins on top of almost crust bottom.
2) Top with remaining crust mixture by crumbling into small pieces.
3) Put in oven on the bottom rack at 350 F for 25 min then check with a toothpick. Add 5 min if it doesn’t come out clean. (Bottom rack will keep the top of the pie from getting too crispy)
4) Remove and let cool. Use a spatula to remove from pan.
5) Place mini pumpkin pies with crumble topping on the counter still in the muffin tin right as they come out of the oven.
STEPS FOR BRANDY CARAMEL SAUCE
1) Add the sugar and the water to a pan.
2) Put on medium heat and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved, and it is just starting to bubble. DO NOT STIR, just swirl/move the pan. It will take about 4-5 minutes.
3) In a separate bowl, combine tahini, salt, coconut oil and brandy.
4) Remove water and sugar mixture from the heat and add the tahini mixture. Put back over a very low heat and whisk until well combined. A few little light flecks are normal. If it’s too thick, add a little more water or non-dairy milk, such as coconut. It thickens up quite a bit as it cools. You can make the sauce in advance and warm up a bit before serving.
STEPS FOR COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1) Put a metal bowl and coconut cream in freezer for 10 minutes. Then add maple syrup and use immersion blender or hand mixer with whisk to whip until it forms stiff peaks. (NOTE: If you whip too little, it will mostly end up on the sides of the bowl or your clothes. I tried ½ cup and it was too small. Just go ahead and treat yourself to a bit extra to start. You’ll thank yourself.
TO SERVE
1) This can be made as 1 pie or muffin size pies for easy serving. Serve room temperature or cold, but the sauce is best warmed and the coconut best cold.
Accessibility for swallowing issues: Depending on your level of swallowing issues, serving will be different. As long as the rust didn’t get crispy, I find it melts apart. All I do is mush the pie so there aren’t any big pieces and put a bit of coconut milk (or other liquid) in the bottom of the bowl. Top with the brandy, caramel sauce and a big dollop of whipped coconut, and we are good to go! If the mixture is too thick for you, you can easily add more liquid and mix it into a slurry that can be drank through a thick smoothie straw. If you find the topping gets at all crispy, you can omit, or run the pie through the blender.