healthy pumpkin pie recipe

hi everyone,
did you know its canadian thanks giving today?

so today is going to be a lifestyle post. I love making really healthy recipes that feel like you're having an indulgent meal but really they are amazingly healthy for you, so i found a recipe of healthy pumpkin pie but i tweaked abit to suit what was in my cupboards.

And of my god! they taste amazing! i never used to be a fan of pumpkin, and i couldn't work out why people liked it, but ever since the pumpkin spice latte at starbucks i have found a new love for this autumn favorite.

Theres something about the pumpkin that tastes amazing, it has like an earthy taste but also this really sweet creamy texture to it aswell. Now in the uk it isn't as reddy available as it is in the states. But we are definitely getting better, so you can buy a pumpkin and make your own puree, which is great if you're going to do pumpkins for halloween, or by 100% pumpkin puree. I found it at waitrose or tesco's. Tesco's it was in the american aisle and then waitrose it was just in the baking section for about £2.

The idea is to make them look rustic, yes the pastry will crumble, yes it won't look perfect on top, but thats just because of the ingredients that are used. Just call it rustic and everyone will think they're perfect! 

Ingredients: so my healthy pumpkin pie recipe made 6 pies in a 12 cupcake tin.

For the crust:

1 cup of rolled oats and process into oat flour, or use oat flour use gluten free if you have an intolerance

3 tbsp of ground flaxseed can be bought at holland and barretts

1 tsp of ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of honey you can use maple syrup of nectar agave instead
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tbsp of all natural peanut butter

For the filling:
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 to 2 scoops of protein
1/4 cup of almond milk or any other substitute
1 tbsp of coconut oil soften before adding
1/4 cup of honey you can use maple syrup or nectar agave instead
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
pinch of clove

I love cinnamon so i added way more than this, but add as much as you like, this is just a guide really. also i didn't use as much honey, i only put in what was needed to make it bind together in the crust, and then the honey is used for sweetness in the filling, so add as little or as much as you like.

Instructions:

for the crust:

1. Pre-heat oven to about 220c.Grease the cupcake tin with whatever you like, i used oil spray. If you need to make oat flour, place the oats into a blender and blend until very very fine, no lumps at all. If you don't have a good enough blender then buying oat flour would be the best option.
2. melt the coconut oil and honey together, either in the microwave or on the hob, just till their incorporated and add to a larger mixing bowl. Then add the oat flour and mix together. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix.
3. place alittle of the mixture into every tin hole and form a nice case for the filling to go in afterwards, bring the sides as high as you can. doesn't really matter though. Then fork the middle so they don't rise to much in the oven
4. then place in the oven for 10mins or as soon as the cases look like they've darkened slightly. remove and cool for 10mins

for the filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl mix the honey and protein together. Next add the pumpkin puree and mix. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix together, add more honey and spices if its not to taste, it does get sweeter in the oven though, so dont over sweeten it.

1. using a scoop fill the crust cases with the filling to the very top, it wont rise at all, so fill it as much as you would like, then put some tin foil over the top to stop the tops from burning
2. place in the oven and cook for 50-60 mins. remove and cool on a cooling rack.
3. cool them either overnight or after about 30mins take them off and pop in the fridge for a couple of hours, its really important to cool them because the filling is quite soft. so cooling them will make them hold their shape alot more.
4. when you take them out of the tin, the crust may crumble or break in places, thats ok, remember their rustic!

now its time for you to eat! i had 2 pumpkin pies, warmed back up for breakfast and made some healthy banana ice cream aswell. so good!

tell me if you make these, i would love to hear what you think.