This Thanksgiving I was up for a challenge (since last year was a pie-saster of epic proportions and I ended up going store bought). I wanted to make my classic chocolate pecan pie, but I was headed to a 100% vegan Thanksgiving dinner. So, I blended some recipes I found online and added my own twist. As usual, I was lazy and just bought a frozen pie crust that was vegan. I recommend this one, or you can make your favorite vegan pie crust recipe – there are some great ones out there!
Here you go! Happy vegan eating.
Vegan Maple Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie
(Adapted from the Post Punk Kitchen & Urban Vegan)
Ingredients:
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (I would have done a full 1/2 and ditched the regular sugar but I didn’t have enough on hand)
- 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance)
- 6 oz extra firm silken tofu (1/2 of a tetra pack)
- 1/4 cup cold unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (I used almond)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (optional)
- approx. 1 cup pecan halves
- approx. 1 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
In a small-medium sauce pan, mix together sugars and maple syrup. Heat over medium heat, stirring often with a whisk. Once small bubbles start rapidly forming, stir pretty constantly for about 10 minutes. The mixture should become thick and syrupy. It shouldn’t be boiling too fiercely, if it starts climbing the walls of the pan in big bubbles then lower the heat a bit.
Add the margarine, and stir to melt. Turn the heat off, transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the filling, working quickly so that the caramel doesn’t completely set. The timing on the rest is a little tough, so just do what you can beforehand.
In a blender or food processor, combine the tofu, milk, cornstarch, salt, bourbon, vanilla, and orange zest (if I could do it differently I would have added the bourbon and vanilla after blending). Puree until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender to make sure you get everything. With the caramel still warm in the mixing bowl, add in the tofu mixture and the vanilla, and mix well. Fold in the pecans to incorporate.
Pour mixture into prepared pie crust and scatter chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 40 minutes. The pie is going to be somewhat jiggly, but it should appear to be set.
Let cool for a few hours, slice and serve!
Fork by Fork 