Best Vegan Pecan Pie

Ingredients

CRUST


• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Cup Ice water


PECAN TOPPING


• 1 Cup Pecan Halves
• 1/2 Tablespoon Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
• 1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
• Salt, Sprinkle


FILLING


• 10 Multigrain Saltine Crackers
• 1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Water
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons Applesauce
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Directions

It can be hard to find multigrain saltines sometimes. I haven't been able to find them for over a year at my local grocery store. You can use 11 regular saltines if you can't find multigrain. But if you do, leave out 1 tablespoon of the water.

Preheat Oven to 325.

For the crust, place pastry and all-purpose flour, butter, salt and baking powder into food processor and pulse about 7 times. Add water to this and turn food processor on and let it mix until it turns into a ball of dough. Takes about a minute to happen.

Sprinkle pastry and counter top generously with all-purpose flour. Take dough ball and roll it out into a 1/4 inch thick sheet. Transfer to pie plate and shape it to the pie plate. Trim the edges that are hanging off. You can decorate the raw edge by creating a fluted edge using your fingers or a fork. This crust is forgiving, if the crust tears you can pat it down with your hands and it will repair easily. Take a fork and prick across the bottom of the crust 5 or 6 times. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

To prepare the pecan topping place pecan halves, butter, brown sugar and salt into a heavy skillet on medium heat and soon as it starts to sizzle cut heat down to medium-low and stir occasionally while mixing up the filling.

For filling, crumble crackers into a small mixing bowl and pour water in with this. Let cracker crumbs soak all the water up.

In a food processor place butter, brown sugar, sugar, agave, vanilla, applesauce , corn starch and the cracker/water pulp. Check to make sure the crackers have soaked up all the water by mixing them around with a fork. Now process for about a minute until it's all liquefied. Pour into saucepan on medium heat and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. When it comes to a boil, let cook for 2 minutes. Pour into shell while still hot. Then put pecan halves on top. Place into oven and cook 50 to 55 minutes. If crust starts to get too brown or starts to burn before it finishes cooking, place a piece of tin foil on top. After cooking, let cool on counter top for 2 to 3 hours.