Cookies are great and all, but what’s even better is when you turn those cookies into a pie shell and fill that thing with sugary, toasted pecans. And that’s a fact.
Inspiration
Fun fact: pecan pie is my favorite kind of pie. I make this pie every year for the holidays, and in the past, I have always used a pre-made, store-bought cookie crust. This year I figured I needed to step my game up and make the whole dang thing from scratch.
How to make a Pecan Pie with a Cookie Crust
This pie is a slice of heaven. It is:
Sweet
Rich
Creamy
& Decadent
Make the Crust
Alright, first thing’s first: the crust! The crust for this bad boy consists of cookie crumbs, maple syrup, melted butter, and salt. Add your cookies to a food processor and blend until you get three cups worth of crumbs. Next, add the syrup, butter, and salt and continue blending until the mixture looks slightly wet.
Next, you’ll want to whip out your pie pan and pour the crumb mixture in. Use your hands or a cup to press the crumbs down so it conforms to the pan and creates a pie shell. Pop the pie shell in an oven preheated to 350° and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool while you prepare the filling.
Cookies: You can realistically use whatever kind of cookie you would like, but I find that cookies similar to graham crackers, or ginger snaps work best to complement this recipe. However, if Oreos are calling you, use the damn Oreos. If digestive biscuits are calling you, use the damn digestive biscuits. Whatever you choose to use, make sure you have enough for three cups. I used two boxes of Trader Joe’s Speculoos cookies, which are essentially Biscoff cookies, and they work wonders.
If you don’t have a food processor to create the crumbs, you could use a blender, or you could also just place the cookies in a plastic zip-lock bag and do your best to crush them into a fine consistency.
Make the Filling
The next order of business is preparing the filling. The filling is a decadent dance of pecans, maple syrup, white sugar, coconut milk, cornstarch, and salt. Start off by combining coconut milk and cornstarch in a cup. Make sure this is mixed well and there are no clumps of cornstarch. Set this aside and get out a medium-sized saucepan. To the saucepan, add the melted butter over medium heat, and once it’s hot, add the pecans to toast for about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the syrup, sugar, salt, and coconut milk/cornstarch mixture. Stir until combined and then immediately add the filling to the pie shell.
Bake & Cool
Very carefully transfer the pie to an oven preheated to 350° and bake for 30 minutes, or until firm. Allow the pie to cool for at least 3-4 hours before digging in. You definitely want the pie to cool completely, or it will become a saucy, hot mess.
Serve
Before serving, slightly warm up your chilled pie, or serve it at room temperature to ensure it stays intact. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream for the ultimate treat!
For visual instruction, check out this video!
More dessert ideas!
🤎 M
Pecan Pie with a Cookie Crust
Equipment
- Pie Pan
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 3 cups cookie crumbs *see notes
- 5 tbsp vegan butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
Pie Filling
- 2 cups pecans
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Place the cookies in a food processor or blender until it makes 3 cups of fine crumbs.
- Add the syrup, melted butter and salt and combine until the mixture looks slightly wet.
- Add the cookie crumb mixture to a greased pie pan and firmly press it down until a pie shell is created.
- Bake the pie shell for 7 minutes at 350°, and then set it aside to cool.
- In a cup, use a fork to combine the coconut milk and cornstarch until it is clump-free. Set this aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the pecans and toast them for 1-2 minutes, while stirring frequently.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including the coconut milk/constarch mixture and stir until combined.
- Pour the filling from the saucepan into the pie shell.
- Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cookie Crust: Pre-made/Store Bought Cookie Crust
- Maple Syrup: Agave
- Vegan Butter: Coconut Oil
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot Powder
