Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Instructions

1. To prepare the crust, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Pour in the melted butter.
4. With a fork, stir until evenly moistened and combined. The mixture will seem dry and crumbly. As you mix, use the back of your fork to smush the more moist parts into the dry parts and vice versa, continuing until all of the almond flour is as evenly moistened as possible, and you don’t have any completely dry bits remaining.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish, and with your fingers, press it along the bottom and up the sides into an even layer (I find the bottom of a clean measuring cup a very handy way to do this). If you'd like to flute the edges, build the crust up into an even, unfluted "mound" that circles the dish first, then use your thumb and fingers to crimp as desired. (You can also leave it unfluted or crimp with the tines of a fork.) With a fork, prick holes all over the bottom.
6. Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and shield the edges with foil or a pie crust shield. Return to the oven and bake 8 to 10 additional minutes, until light golden brown. Let cool.
7. To prepare the filling, melt the coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl or a small saucepan. Set aside to cool slightly. Place the dates in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until they turn into a sticky ball.
8. Add the melted coconut oil, pumpkin, almond butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract, maple extract, and salt.
9. Puree until smooth. This will take several minutes, and you may need to stop and scrape down the food processor a few times. You should have just a few small specks of dates remaining.
10. Transfer the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 6 hours or overnight. Slice and serve!