It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Sure, it’s only December first, but I’m already brimming—overflowing, really—with holiday spirit. And what will we be consuming in this household all season long besides my beloved Nantucket Cranberry Tart? Obviously, gluten-free pies. Yes, plural. Yes, I’m the only one in
my family who likes pecan pie. And yes, I will absolutely make it gluten-free if I want to. This is my Roman Empire.
Gluten-Free Christmas: Snow Dances, Pie Benders & Questionable Firewood Ethics
Here in Big Bear Lake, Mother Nature gifted us an early-season snowstorm in late November. It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet, and there I was, romping through the forest in my snowshoes with the Home Alone playlist blasting in my brain like my personal soundtrack. Our grocery stores rolled out the eggnog before Halloween this year, so if I’m belting out “Christmas Wrapping” weeks before Thanksgiving, just look away and let me live my best snowy winter wonderland life. Nothing to see here, folks. Outside the eccentric hiking guide in the Christmas onesie in snowshoes with the Adventure Dog who has a full donkey leg in her mouth.
Snowshoeing for Desserts: And Big Bear Gluten-Free Pies Christmas Chronicles
So yes, it may still be late November, but I even broke out my brand new—okay, gently used—Christmas romper for a festive snow dance photoshoot with my pup. This, right here, is why I thrift: where else but the donation bin of destiny would you find a Christmas-light-studded romper? Certainly not in the hallowed halls of Nordstrom.
Now, last year’s Trump Dance/Snow Dance almost got me cancelled on social media, so we’re keeping it strictly holiday-themed this year. No politics. Just me, a dog, and enough joy to make a lit-up inflatable Santa look depressed.
My Holiday Spirit Is Gluten-Free (Unlike My Opinions)
After work today, I baked three pies: a Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie, my
trusty Nantucket Cranberry Tart, and my famous Sweet Potato Pie. My clients stared at me and said, “Wow, you must be hosting a lot of people.” And I said, “No, sweetie. Those three pies are for me.” When you snowshoe 22,000 steps in a workday, you earn the right to emotionally support yourself via multiple pies.
And what says “Happy Holidays” to me—besides shoving three different kinds of pie into my face like it’s a competitive sport? Free wood. A Jeep full of gloriously free, already-chainsawed-into-biscuits Jeffrey Pine. Look, I may have pilfered this free lumber from the United States government, but considering what California takes out of my paycheck (not to mention the daily circus I endure), I think I’m owed a government handout. And if that handout comes in the form of a pulled lower back muscle from hurling pine chunks into my SUV? Worth it.
Truly, this was the best Black Friday deal in the entire town: Free firewood. And yes, this is legitimately $200 worth of wood at December prices. Sure, my chiropractor is getting paid next week, but still: a win is a win.
Are you a lover of all things Christmas, including gluten-free pies? Well, you have to try this one.
Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Crust
1 cup walnuts, blitzed in a food processor to a thin, almost flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3 teaspoons salted Kerrygold butter, at room tempature
1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom
Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie Filling
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons Kerrygold salted butter
1 cup organic dark sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips, I like to use Valrhona
1 1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of bourbon
Preheat the oven to 350. In a pot, combine the pecans, bourbon, and maple syrup. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and strain. Set the syrup aside to use in the gluten-free pie.
Toss the pecans with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Let them cool. Then finely chop them.
For your gluten-free pie crust, mix the blitzed walnuts, almond flour, cinnamon, cardamom and the room temp butter. Fit this crust into a pie pan. Use a pastry brush to rub with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes.
Now work on your gluten-free pie filling. Whisk together 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk until well combined. Add the remaining bourbon mixture and the cream. Whisk in the melted butter and the vanilla. Fold in the pecans and the chocolate chips.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the pie has puffed up on top. Remove the gluten-free pie from the oven and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Serve this gluten-free pie with vanilla ice cream.
