Butternut “Pumpkin” Pie

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I took it into my head that this year I wanted to make a pumpkin pie without any of that toxic white sugar.

Of course, I haven’t completely given up on white sugar. Yesterday’s fudge post should be proof of that.

But either way, this pumpkin pie is sugar free.

I also ran out of canned pumpkin and didn’t realize it until I had started the pie. I could’ve backed out even then, but you see, I’d already decided to make pumpkin pie.

I get very determined (except since I’m dutch, most people just call it stubborn). So I used some already baked squash we had sitting on the counter to make a butternut pumpkin pie. It turned out just perfectly, and nobody would ever guess that it wasn’t “official” pumpkin pie.

I found out why with some internet searching. According to this article, most canned pumpkin isn’t even made from pumpkin.

It’s made from good old butternut squash.

So enjoy.

Butternut “Pumpkin” Pie

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour 30 mins

Total time

2 hours

 

A delicious and sugar free "pumpkin" pie for the holidays!

Author: Linnaea

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 1 9-inch deep dish pie

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch gluten-free pie shell. After you put the crust into the pie dish and make it look all pretty, you’re going to want to refrigerate it for an extra half an hour before baking. Also, in order to keep the recipe refined sugar free, I left out the sugar in the pie crust recipe.
• 1 medium sized butternut squash (needs to make 1⅓ cup of squash puree) (you can use one 15 oz can of pumpkin (or squash) for this as well if you don’t have time to bake a squash)
• 1 five-ounce can of evaporated milk
• ½ cup milk
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (see below)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Instructions

1. Cut the squash in half and bake it at 350 for about an hour, until well-done and soft. If the squash isn’t soft enough, it won’t puree as well, so it’s better to have it overcooked than undercooked.
2. Spoon the squash into a measuring cup to measure 1⅓ cup. Try to use the best parts of the squash—don’t get the stringy stuff near the seed area, and if any of the squash along the edges is overcooked and dark brown, try not to use that either.
3. Put the squash in a food processor or blender and add the evaporated milk and regular milk. Blend it all together until the squash becomes smooth (about a minute).
4. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your electric mixer. About this time, turn the oven to 375 to preheat.
5. Measure out ⅓ cup of honey, and then add maple syrup until the measurement comes to ½ cup (this will be about 2 or 3 tablespoons of maple syrup).
6. Pour the honey and maple syrup into the squash mixture, and add the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.
7. Add the three eggs and blend until combined.
8. Pour the mixture into your refrigerated pie crust. Cover the edges of the pie crust lightly with foil (otherwise the crust will burn around the edges).
9. Bake at 375 for 1 to 1 ½ hours, checking occasionally. It varies how soon the filling will firm up depending upon how large your eggs were. The best way to determine if the pie is done is by touching the top of the filling. It shouldn’t be at all wet, and if a bit of wet filling comes up with your finger it certainly isn’t done. Also, the filling is only done when it has “set,” and doesn’t wiggle when you touch it or when you try to remove it from the oven.

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