vegan thanksgiving: no-bake chocolate pumpkin pie

it’s the day before thanksgiving and you know what that means, time to make the pumpkin pie and stick it in the fridge so you don’t have to think about it along with the million other things you have to think about cooking tomorrow.  the great thing about this recipe is that it requires no bake time, so even if you put it off until the last minute, it won’t take up any of your precious oven space.

but be forewarned that this is not your grandma’s pumpkin pie.  this is a decadent, melt in your mouth pumpkin pie with a crumbly cookie crust.  the rich chocolate flavor is the first thing you notice.  it doesn’t strike you immediately that it’s a pumpkin pie until the smooth consistency melts in your mouth and hints of cinnamon, ginger and cloves pop up.

cookie crust
16 oreos or newman’s organic chocolate cream cookies
1/3 c earth balance
1/3 c flour

filling
1/2 c water
1 tsp agar agar
1 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cans of pumpkin (about 22 oz)
1 c dark chocolate chunks or chips

start by breaking up the cookies into the smallest bits you can.  i started with a hand masher and moved onto a fork for the tough pieces.  then add in the earth balance, which will leave it gooey and soft, adding the flour will help to give it a thicker consistency that will hold it together.  when completely blended put in the refrigerator to harden.

i found the only way to work with the crust was when it’s cold.  so once it hardened i began pushing it into a buttered pie pan with the bottom of a glass.  if it began to melt and stick to the glass i would return it to the fridge to harden again.  in the end you should have a pie pan evenly coated with a cookie crumb crust.

while you are preparing the crust, add the agar agar to the water and let sit to make sure it is fully dissolved.  agar agar is a gelatin substitute derived from seaweed.  it will help the pie become firm without baking.

after the crust is finished, start preparing the filling by heating up the agar agar solution, sugar and spices in a large sauce pan until they begin to bubble.  reduce the heat to prevent it from bubbling up too much.

add the pumpkin and let cook for about a minute.

then turn off the heat and add the chocolate.  it will melt completely in since the mixture is still very hot.

pour the contents of the pan into the pie crust and smooth the top.  garnish if you’d like with cookie crumbs, a cookie in the center, chocolate chips, or  if you’d like you can melt the chocolate separately and swirl it in with the filling.

refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  it will become firm upon cooling, even more so than is pictured above, since i was a bit impatient.