Recipe: Pumpkin Pie with Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Why isn't every pie crust made of oatmeal cookie? Please don't interpret this as a rhetorical question. My deprived soul has gotta know why every pie filling I've ever eaten hasn't been sandwiched between two layers of buttery, oat-y, cookie crust. 

Here's why oatmeal cookie wins at being pie crust:

• Pie + cookie = one less dessert to make. More time for parade-watching and coffee-sipping and couch-lounging... all in pajamas. I can't WAIT.)
• Um hello pastry dough is SCARY. Especially gluten free pastry dough. I'm just positive I'll cut the butter in the wrong way and screw everything up and bring shame to my family. Cookies however? I can do that shit in my sleep. KIDS make cookies.
• Frozen gluten free pie crusts are a total pain to find. I do love me some pumpkin pie, but not enough to go to 3+ stores, and then pay 98 dollars.
• Tastes even better after hanging out in the fridge overnight. So yeah, knock out this bad boy the day before Thanksgiving so on the big day you can fuss over things like.. oh, the turkey. (PS. Does anyone else not even like turkey?)
• PIE + COOKIE. Reason enough.

Am I missing anything? Probably. Once you make this pie and are an official member of the cookie-crust-club we can chat. 

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie with Gluten Free 

Oatmeal Cookie Crust

[original recipe for Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars via Cooking Classy]

Ingredients

Oatmeal Cookie Crust:

1 1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour mix (I used a combo of The Pure Pantry and Better Batter)

1 1/4 cups gluten free oats (quick cooking or old fashioned)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla 

Cooking spray

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional; could sub pecans)

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see Cooking Classy for individual spice measurements)

1/4 tsp salt

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree 

1/3 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make cookie crust, whisk together flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and both sugars until no clumps remain. Add the melted butter and vanilla. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to work the melted butter into the dry ingredients until the dough is evenly moist. It should have the texture of wet sand and hold together in a clump if you squish it. (Don't add the nuts just yet!)

Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. (I used a pan similar to this one where you can pop the bottom out. Spring-form would likely work too.) Using your hands, press around 2/3 of the oatmeal cookie dough into the bottom of the pie pan. Bake the bottom crust for about 17 minutes, until it's golden, but not completely firm.

Meanwhile, make the pumpkin pie filling. In a new bowl, combine all of the pumpkin filling ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, egg + egg yolk, vanilla, pumpkin puree and evaporated milk. Whisk really well until all ingredients are combined.

Remove the bottom crust from the oven and pour all of the pumpkin filling over the crust. Smooth out the filling with a rubber spatula. Bake for 15 minutes until the filling is mostly set but still jiggles a little.

Mix the nuts into the remaining cookie dough. Remove the pie pan from the oven and use your hands to crumble the remaining dough over the top of the pie. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown.

Allow the pie to cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at LEAST 2 hours before slicing the pie. (Texture and taste will be even better if you let it chill over night!)

Serve cold or room temp with whipped cream and a few dashes of cinnamon.