Alright, after a week of posting two Thanksgiving recipes each day, it’s time for my favorite, FAVORITE desserts of all time. PUMPKIN PIE…and COOKIES.
Seriously, guys, you’re in for a treat. This is the best ever vegan pumpkin pie. This was the one dessert I really missed after going vegan, but no more! I’ve tried several variations, from a cornstarch base, to a flour base, to a silken tofu base, but this agar-coconut cream one is by my favorite. It really allows the pumpkin and spices to shine without adding a random other flavor into the mix. The best part? You can leave your oven free for your other Thanksgiving creations [like the incredible cookie recipe that follows!] because this is a no-bake pumpkin pie! How’s that for innovation?
The second offering today is my favorite cookie recipe turned up a notch with orange zest, cranberries and a sweet orange glaze. This is perfect for Thanksgiving OR Christmas. Make a batch to gift your loved ones. Whip up some with your kids, or send a tinful to your kids’ teachers or your work buddies. They look oh-so-fancy, but really they’re quite simple.
Simply cream your usual sugars with (vegan) butter. Add vanilla and orange zest. Add a Neat Egg. Add some flour and – wait, what? You don’t know what a Neat egg is?! Oh man, well let me tell you!
Neat Egg is a chia-garbanzo mixture created by Neat Foods. It takes the place of an egg as the chia in it expands when it comes into contact with a liquid. I usually use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg substitute) for the same purpose. In any case, I highly recommend it. I got mine at our recent Texas Veggie Fair and it is the perfect addition to create insanely delicious, chewy cookies. This will definitely be a new staple in my pantry!
The Neat Egg can be ordered here. Check your local health food store to see if they are a stockist. A quick search in my area showed that they are stocked by my local Target.
Also, if you’re not a fan of cranberries, try some chopped dark chocolate and sea salt with the orange: 
Gosh, now that IS fancy. Happy baking!!
- 9-inch deep pie crust, prebaked and cooled
- 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 14-oz can full fat coconut cream
- 6 tbsp agar agar flakes or powder
- In a medium sauce-pan, add the pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices. Stirring constantly, cook until dark and fragrant, about 7 minutes. You are essentially caramelizing the sugars in the pumpkin and marrying the pumpkin with the spices and sugar.
- Transfer mixture to a high-speed blender. Add coconut cream and blend on high until fully incorporated.
- Return to sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add the agar agar flakes and stir vigorously for a few minutes until you can no longer see the flakes, about 5 minutes.
- pour mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate, uncovered, 1-2 hours or until set and completely cooled. Serve with a dollop of coconut whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
- You can get agar agar in strips, flakes, or powder from your local health food or asian food store. If using strips, be sure to grind it into a powder or flakes before adding to the mixture.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup Earth Balance butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- orange zest, from one large orange
- 1 tbsp Neat Egg*
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 1/2 cup whole cranberries, chopped (fresh) OR
- 3.5 oz. dark chocolate chips or bar, chopped (optional) + sprinkle of kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered/confectioner's sugar
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or standing mixer, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or by hand for 5 minutes.
- Add the sugars and orange zest to the butter and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes; the mixture will become light and fluffy.
- Beat in the neat egg powder, almond milk, vanilla, and orange juice and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients slowly, in increments, mixing well after each addition.
- Fold the cranberries or dark chocolate into the dough.** Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets at least two inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While cookies are baking, whisk together orange juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl until uniformly blended. Add more juice or more sugar to thin or thicken the consistency to your liking. Drizzle or spread glaze over cooled cookies. If making dark chocolate orange cookies, sprinkle the salt on them instead. Enjoy!
- *Neat Egg can be ordered online (link in post). Substitute with 1 tbsp ground flax seed, or 1 tbsp ground chia seed + 1 tsp chickpea flour.
- **I divided the dough in half and added cranberries to one half and dark chocolate to the other. In this instance I divided the listed quantities of cranberries and dark chocolate in half, as I only needed enough for one half of the dough.
Oooh I can’t wait to try variations! What about orange zest and dark chocolate? Strawberry macadamia? German chocolate with pecans? OOH! Coconut lime with cashews. Yesssssss.
