Black Bottomed Pecan Pie + My Favourite Pie Crust {vegan}

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A dark chocolate bottomed, maple sweetened, pecan pie encased in a flaky and golden vegan crust. Seriously good on its own but some whipped coconut cream or vanilla ice-cream never hurt anyone! Make it a regular pecan pie if you’d like, no chocolate bottom required.

I’ve been wanting to make a vegan pecan pie for probably about the same length of time that I’ve been vegan, a cool 3 1/2 years, so this has been a long time coming! I think pecan is my favourite kind of pie. Especially when it’s got a black (chocolate) bottom like this one. Though I’m probably just saying that now because I’ve eaten it so recently. I really just love any kind of pie to be honest – if it’s got a flaky crust and a filling, I’ll take it.

I’ve adapted my version slightly from Making Thyme For Healths ‘The Best Vegan Pecan Pie’. I truly think it’s the best ever. And with Kenji’s ‘Easy Pie Dough’ from Serious Eats, made with vegan butter, I think this pie could win many a competition.

Here in Australia, we don’t have access to ‘block’ style butter like Earth Balance, and margarine simply doesn’t cut it as it has a lower fat content and higher water content. So for pastry, I find that a half-half mix of vegan butter and coconut oil (I use refined so that it doesn’t have a strong coconut flavour) works best to produce a flaky crust with a buttery flavour. 

Black Bottomed Pecan Pie + My Favourite Pie Crust {vegan}

vegan, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free
A dark chocolate bottomed, maple sweetened, pecan pie encased in a flaky and golden vegan crust. Seriously good on its own but some whipped coconut cream or vanilla ice-cream never hurt anyone! This recipe needs to be made ahead to give the pie time to set.
Pie crust from Serious Eats. This recipe will make two pie crusts you can freeze the second one for use another time! Just allow to defrost completely in the fridge before rolling out. Pecan pie adapted from Making Thyme for Health's the Best Vegan Pecan Pie (it truly is the best ever).

Ingredients

crust

  • 525 g /3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 37 g /3 tbsp raw granulated sugar
  • 7.5 g /1.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 135 g /2/3 cup vegan butter (I use nuttelex buttery)
  • 135 g /2/3 cup refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening, soft
  • 120 ml /6 tbsp ice water

chocolate

  • 120 g /1 cup chopped dark (70%) vegan chocolate
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut cream

pie

  • 1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut cream
  • 35 g /1/3 cup corn starch
  • 80 g /4 tbsp vegan butter
  • 375 g /3 heaping cups pecans
  • 150 g /1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • plant-based milk

Instructions

crust

  • Combine 2/3 of flour with sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to incorporate. Gently mix the butter and coconut oil together until completely incorporated, chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Then, spread chunks of this mixture evenly around the food processor. Pulse until no dry flour remains and dough just begins to collect in clumps. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough evenly around the bowl of the food processor. Sprinkle with remaining flour and pulse until dough is just barely broken up, about 5 short pulses. Transfer dough to a large bowl.
  • Sprinkle with water then using a rubber spatula, fold and press dough until it comes together into a ball. Divide ball in half. Form each half into a 10cm/4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before rolling and baking.
  • Remove one piece of dough (freeze the other piece for another time) from the fridge and allow to sit for 5 minutes or so to warm up enough to roll it out if need be. Dust your countertop well with flour, or cover the bench with some flour-dusted cling wrap or baking paper to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll out into a circle until it’s wide enough to fill your pie pan with some overhang. Roll the dough around your rolling pin then unravel it gently onto your greased pie pan. Press gently into the edges and patch up any cracks. Leave about 2cm of overhang around the pie but trim the rest off. Roll the overhang underneath itself then crimp the edges (tutorial here). Prick the base of the crust a few times with a fork. Chill the crust in the fridge for an hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting, preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Cover the pie with baking paper and fill with pie weights. Bake the pastry for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and bake the crust for a further 5 minutes until set and lightly golden. Place in the freezer to chill before proceeding.

chocolate

  • Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan or the microwave until very hot to the touch and almost beginning to simmer. Pour the coconut cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes to melt. Whisk together until smooth and glossy. Spread over the bottom of the chilled pie crust and place it in the fridge or to set for 15 minutes.

pie

  • Combine the coconut cream and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Roughly chop 2 cups of the pecans, save 1 cup of the best-looking pecans for the top of the pie. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped pecans and toast for a minute while stirring. Remove from the heat. Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut cream mixture, vanilla, and salt and stir until smooth and combined.
  • Pour the mixture into the chilled chocolate coated pie crust. Arrange the whole pecans on the top in concentric circles. Brush the pastry edges with a little milk, then place in the oven on the lower rack and bake for about 40-50 minutes, until the filling appears mostly firm on top when jiggled (it will set in the fridge, cook for the lesser time for a more gooey filling, or longer for a firmer filling). Cover the edges with foil after about 10 minutes to prevent them from burning, and cover the pie completely if the pecans get too dark. Allow to cool completely on the counter (2-3 hours), then cover and chill in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

Now that Autumn is upon us I’m really getting into pie making, I’ve made blackberry pie and rhubarb galettes and more pecan pie and I’d like to make a lemon meringue pie soon, and a salted caramel apple pie and a chocolate cream pie. AH. So much pie-making to be done. Let me know in the comments what your favourite kind of pie is and what you wish I’d make next!

Bek xx

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