I ran into this recipe at Blissful Basil when I was looking for a vegan dessert to serve with a meal. (One of my relatives is vegan.) When I saw the pictures of it, I had to make it and I’m so glad I did! It’s a little more expensive than most pies, but it’s worth it. The recipe below is by Ashley Melillo and the pictures are mine.
Raw Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
By Ashley Melillo at Blissful Basil
Ingredients:
For the Crust
2 cups dried mulberries
1 cup packed medjool dates, pitted
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Apple Filling
5 large honey crisp apples, peeled and cored, divided
1/2 cup packed medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons white or black chia seeds
For the Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
1/4 cup raw pecans
1/4 cup raw coconut sugar
1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
To Make the Crust
Add the mulberries, dates, walnuts, vanilla bean seeds, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times and then process until you have a crumbly, sticky mixture (about 1-2 minutes).
Line the bottom of a 10″ round tart pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with coconut oil.
Pour the crust mixture into the tart pan, and use your hands to press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust (tip: if the mixture is sticking to your hands, dampen them with water).
Transfer the tart pan to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to set.
To Make the Apple Filling
After you’ve peeled and cored the apples, roughly chop two of them. Add them to a food processor along with the medjool dates, cinnamon, and pinch of nutmeg. Pulse the mixture a few times and then process for 3-4 minutes or until a smooth apple-sauce-like texture is reached. You’ll need to stop frequently to scrape the mixture down the sides of your food processor.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the chia seeds.
Dice your other three peeled and cored apples into small cubes, and add the cubes to the bowl with the apple-date mixture. Toss to coat.
To Make the Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
Add the pecans, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse 20-25 times or until you have a coarse crumble.
To Assemble the Pie
Remove your crust from the freezer. Pour in the apple mixture, and use a spatula to spread it evenly into the crust. Sprinkle the cinnamon-pecan streusel over the apple layer and return the pie to the freezer for one hour to set.
Remove from freezer, slice, and serve.
Store leftovers in your refrigerator.
