Okay, so Thanksgiving was coming up, and this year, things got a little tricky. My sister suddenly found out she can’t really do gluten or dairy. Like, seriously. So, Thanksgiving desserts? Big question mark. I couldn’t just let her sit there eating fruit salad while everyone else dug into pie, right? Felt kinda bad. So, I thought, alright, challenge accepted. I’m gonna try making some gluten-free AND dairy-free desserts.
Finding the Stuff
First step, figuring out what to even make. Pumpkin pie is a must, obviously. But a gluten-free, dairy-free crust? And the filling? Seemed tough. I spent a good evening just scrolling through recipes online. So many options, but a lot looked complicated, you know? Needing weird flours I’d never heard of.
I settled on a pumpkin pie with an almond flour crust and coconut milk filling, and maybe an apple crumble thing, because crumbles seem forgiving. Easier than a second pie crust, I figured.
Then came the shopping. Ugh. Finding the right gluten-free flour blend wasn’t too bad, most stores have that now. But the dairy-free butter substitute that actually tastes okay and works for baking? That took a couple of store visits. And checking labels on everything – vanilla extract, baking powder, even chocolate chips for something else I was maybe thinking about – to make sure there was no hidden gluten or dairy. It’s a pain, honestly. You gotta be a detective.
- Almond flour (lots of it)
- Tapioca starch
- Coconut milk (full fat, canned)
- Dairy-free butter sticks (found one that looked promising)
- Pumpkin puree (the plain kind)
- Maple syrup (instead of other sweeteners)
- Apples, cinnamon, oats (certified GF ones!)
The Baking Day Mess
Alright, baking day. I decided to tackle the pie first. The crust… well. It was different. Mixing almond flour, tapioca starch, cold dairy-free butter, and ice water. It didn’t come together like regular dough. Much more crumbly. I basically had to press it into the pie dish instead of rolling it out. Got my fingers all greasy. Patched up a few spots. Worried it would just fall apart when baked.
Then the filling. Mixing pumpkin puree, coconut milk, maple syrup, spices, and some cornstarch (checked that label too!). It looked pretty normal, actually. Poured it into the sketchy crust. Popped it in the oven. Crossed my fingers.
While the pie baked, I started on the apple crumble. This felt easier. Chopped up apples, tossed ’em with cinnamon and a bit of maple syrup. Dumped them in a baking dish. The topping was rolled oats (the certified GF ones!), more almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted dairy-free butter. Mixed that up, it looked like, well, crumble topping. Sprinkled it over the apples. Put that in the oven too.
The whole kitchen smelled amazing, like usual Thanksgiving baking, which was a good sign. But I was still nervous.
How’d It Turn Out?
Okay, the results. The pie came out of the oven looking… pretty good! The crust browned nicely. It didn’t shrink too much. Big relief. I let it cool completely, like, for hours. That’s key with these kinds of crusts, I read.
The apple crumble looked fantastic. Bubbly apples, golden brown topping. Hard to mess up a crumble, thankfully.
Thanksgiving dinner time. Dessert reveal. My sister’s face lit up when she saw she had options. That felt good, gotta say.
The verdict?
The pumpkin pie: The crust was definitely different. Not flaky like traditional crust, more like a shortbread cookie texture? But it held together! And it tasted pretty good, nutty from the almond flour. The filling? Honestly, couldn’t tell the difference. Creamy, pumpkiny, perfectly spiced. Success!
The apple crumble: Total winner. Everyone loved it. The topping was crunchy, apples were soft. You really couldn’t tell it was gluten-free and dairy-free. Simple, but a crowd-pleaser.
So yeah, it was extra work. Definitely more planning and careful shopping. And the texture of the pie crust wasn’t exactly the same. But seeing my sister enjoy dessert with everyone else? Totally worth it. I learned a lot, mostly that gluten-free/dairy-free baking isn’t scary, just different. Might even try some other recipes next year. Maybe.
