Am I on the only person who gets downright giddy when it comes to Thanksgiving?  It is hands down by far my favourite holiday all year.  It is all the things I love about Christmas like spending time with the ones you love and eating lots of great food without all the stress of gifts.  I am one lucky ducky though because I actually get two thanksgivings a year, since 3/4 of the Payne family is Canadian we also celebrate Thanksgiving in October as well.

My mom really knows how to do Thanksgiving so every year she covers the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy.  My sisters and I all cover the sides and dessert.  So this year since Benny and I are still dairy free I thought I would make the delicious Pumpkin Coconut Pie my mom made for my birthday.  Seriously so delicious!

Pie crusts can be really intimidating to me, the recipes always seem so precise but I am not a very precise baker.  I decided to use coconut oil instead of butter and shortening since that is usually my fat of choice lately in baking.  After mixing it up and throwing it in the fridge for an hour something just wasn’t right, looking back now I think I forgot a couple tablespoons of coconut oil which would explain why it just wasn’t coming together.  I settled on just pressing it into the pie plate like you would for a cheesecake.

Sometimes you just have to roll with it and have a rustic pie crust instead.

The filling mixes up easy and then it is popped in the oven for an hour.  The addition of coconut in the last 15 minutes is a nice because it is toasted and golden when the pie is finished baking.  And you are left with a yummy pie to share with your family on Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus more for topping
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I substituted coconut oil for both the butter and shortening)
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon coconut rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse the flour, coconut, 2 tablespoons butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until it looks like fine meal. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap; use the plastic to help form the dough into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature.)

Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate, fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edge with your fingers. Chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden around the edge, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking 5 more minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Gently whisk the pumpkin, coconut milk, sugar, eggs, rum, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl until combined. Pour into the prepared crust and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake 1 hour. Sprinkle more coconut around the edge of the pie; continue baking until the center is almost set but still jiggles slightly, about 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.