Crumb Topped Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake
One of the best parts about the holidays for me, since I’m the only one in my family that has to be gluten-free and I happen to be the cook in the family, is seeing the looks on peoples’ faces when they are enjoying something SO much (and I don’t even tell them it’s gluten-free… #notsorry). Especially when they’re desserts that resemble their gluten-filled favorites, like pumpkin or apple pie, or apple crisp, etc. And they’re like wait…is this gluten-free? But it’s actually GOOD! You just wait. This Crumb-Topped Maple, gluten AND dairy free Pumpkin Cheesecake is going to blow you and your family’s socks off, whether they’re gluten-free or not.
photo from Real Food with Dana
I can’t even tell you how glad I am that I don’t have to worry about making a gluten-free pie crust this year. As you guys know, I seriously drive the struggle bus when it comes to gluten-free/paleo baking. So when MI-DEL reached out and asked me to create a holiday recipe with their gluten-free Graham Cracker Pie Crust (which, by the way, I’ve been using for YEARS), I was like heeeeck to the freaking YES. Because unlike a lot of other GF ones, MI-DEL Pie Crusts have a short ingredient list made of ingredients you can pronounce (heck YES) and are the ONLY comprehensive, Allergen Safe, Non-GMO Verified, Shelf-Stable Graham-style pie crust offering in the marketplace. For the WIN.
Another great thing about the MI-DEL pie crusts? They’re 30 grams thicker than other brands…meaning no more “soggy bottoms” as Paul and Mary on Great British Baking Show would call it, and you’ll actually get a bit of the delicious graham cracker crust in every bite!
photo from Real Food with Dana
Love it. Back in the days when I was newly diagnosed with celiac and trying to make my own gluten-free pies/cakes/desserts for the holidays, I would make my own alongside my grandma’s apple pie + pumpkin pie…and no one would touch the gluten-free version but me. Okay, my grandma would try it just to be nice, but she has to say she likes it. We joke around in our family that she would think we were wonderful even if we were a bunch of axe murderers. She’s a saint.
photo from Real Food with Dana
Back to this pie though. I LOVE me some pumpkin pie, and I LOVE me some graham crackers. But the traditional version of pumpkin pie is neither gluten nor dairy-free, so it’s a definite WMID (weapon of mass intestinal destruction) and off-limits for me. If you told me a few years ago that I’d actually be able to eat a gluten-free, dairy free Pumpkin Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust that actually tastes amazing and doesn’t wreck my insides, I would’ve laughed in your face. This pie is everything magical that I’d hoped and dreamed it would come out to be. Bonus points if you serve it with some coconut whipped cream on top!
photo from Real Food with Dana
Crumb-Topped Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
photo from Real Food with Dana