A great dessert to serve to friends. It tastes incredibly caramel-like, but it’s full of goodness. The middle layer is my favorite part, as the amazing combination of pecans, cashew butter, dates and maple syrup is so heavenly, especially with the maple-roasted pecans arranged on top.
Makes 1 pie
For the crust
5 ounces almonds (about 1 cup)
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
4 medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus more for the dish
For the middle
4.5 ounces pecans (about 11/4 cups)
10 tablespoons cashew butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
12 medjool dates, pitted
For the topping
11/4 cup pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400°F (convection 350°F).
Make the crust. Place the almonds into a food processor and grind to a flour, then add the buckwheat flour, cinnamon, honey, dates and coconut oil and blend to a sticky mixture.
Oil a pie dish, then cover the bottom with the crust. Bake for about 15 minutes, until it becomes nicely browned and is hardening.
Meanwhile, make the middle layer. First place the pecans in the food processor for a minute to crush them into a cross between a nut butter and a flour, then add the cashew butter. Once those have mixed, add the maple syrup and dates. Allow these to blend as you gradually add 3/4 cup of water. Keep this in the fridge until you’re ready to spread it over the base.
Finally, place the pecans for the topping on a baking sheet with the maple syrup and cinnamon, mix them together and bake for 5 minutes, until a little browned and crunchy.
Once the pie base has cooked, allow it to sit for a few minutes before spreading the middle layer across it and adding the pecans on top. Leave it for 1 hour or so to set fully.
Tweak It
Sadly, if you’re allergic to nuts, this dessert isn’t for you; the pecans are just too essential! If you can’t eat almonds, though, try switching those for any other nut, while the cashew butter can be switched for almond butter or Brazil nut butter.