Gluten-Free Vegan S’mores Pie

It's still full-on winter out here, and I'm cuddling up by the fire-place daily as I share these recipes with you and get inspired by your recipes too. Perhaps I'm just missing summer, but the smell of the fire place has lately been reminding me of summer campfires, camping trips, and of course camp! And how can camp memories not go hand-in-hand with s'mores, right? I mentioned to someone recently that I thought I've tried everything "s'mores" out there. And as I said it, I realized just how wrong I was! There can never be an end to s'mores treats. Never! So if you love s'mores, you'll love this gluten-free vegan s'mores pie.

Note: although I know you won't be able to lay your hands off this pie as soon as it comes out of the oven {it's very hard... you'll see...}, unfortunately it needs to chill in the fridge to set. In fact the longer it chills the better. Overnight is best. Otherwise, the crust might crumble up a bit. Confession: I actually like that. I couldn't wait long enough and dug in too soon. The crust crumbled up a bit, but no biggie. Messy. Just like at camp. That was great. S'mores aren't meant to be perfect, right? If you're like me, then never mind the wait. Just let it cool off slightly, and dig in. If you want it to set more, then chill and it will slice cleanly and neatly...

Also, while I normally go for making everything from scratch, I actually used a pie crust mix for this recipe. I'm a big fan of JK Gourmet's almond flour and use it frequently {like in this chocolate flourless cake}. I recently discovered they had a Pie & Tart Crust Mix and looking at the ingredients it seemed like a very decent product. I usually avoid mixes because they can be full of questionable additives, but the ingredients in this mix are very clean and simple: almond flour, organic granulated coconut nectar, salt, and baking soda. It turned out to be a very nice gluten-free & vegan pie crust, so I do recommend trying it out. It was actually kind of perfect for this pie in particular as it tastes a whole lot like a graham cracker crust, but it's gluten-free and vegan (and even grain-free!). If, however, you want to make a crust completely from scratch, you can try using something like this recipe from Oh She Glows {though I haven't tested it out, so don't hold me to it}.

Gluten-Free Vegan S'mores Pie

Print Recipe

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 9" pie

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 pack (12.3oz) JK Gourmet's Pie & Tart Crust Mix {see notes above for alternatives}
• 8 tbsp non-dairy butter {I used Earth Balance}, softened

Chocolate Layer:

• 1 ½ cups almond butter
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ⅓ cup liquid sweetener of your choice {I used maple syrup}
• 6 tbsp non-dairy milk {I used coconut milk}
• 3 tbsp non-dairy butter
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 pack of large vegan marshmallows {I used Dandies}

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a pie dish and set aside.
2. Place pie crust ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly together by hand until mixture is soft and crumbly. Lump into a ball. Roll out dough on a cutting board in between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it's about ¼" thick. Transfer the rolled out dough {while still on the cutting board} into the fridge and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Once chilled, remove the crust from the fridge and transfer onto the pie plate. Fix any rips or tears and shape into a pie crust. Poke holes throughout the base using a fork to prevent crust from bubbling up. Bake in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, until the edges are golden and the crust feels firm and lightly bouncy to the touch. Set aside to cool. Keep the oven running and switch it to the broil setting.
3. Place all filling ingredients, except for marshmallows, into a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and combined. Transfer contents into the pie plate and spread mixture evenly over the crust.
4. Cut the marshmallows in half {using kitchen shears} length-wise and lay them around on top of the chocolate mixture.
5. Note: you don't have to cut them, so if you prefer more marshmallow on top, leave them whole. You'll need more vegan marshmallows that way, and it'll also make the top look a bit more puffy, which is why I decided to cut mine in half.
6. Return the pie onto the top rack in the oven and broil FOR 1 MINUTE! You have to really watch it at this point because the marshmallows will melt and darken really fast — you don't want to burn them. So broil just enough to get a nice dark edging and a bit of a "fire-roasted" look on the marshmallows. Remove from oven. Cool off to room temperature and then place in the fridge to cool off for at least a few hours {or not — see my notes above ;) }.