Deep Dish Pumpkin and Coconut Cream Pie

For pie crust:
12 ounces animal cracker cookies
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegan buttery spread, melted

For pie filling:
2 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (~1 1/2 15-ounce cans)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 Tbsp olive oil, or melted coconut oil
2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or sub mix of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves)
1/4 tsp sea salt

For whipped coconut cream layer:
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut cream (not milk), chilled in refrigerator overnight
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons decorative sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For pie crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put cookies in blender or food processor and pulse until the cookies are crushed into fine crumbs. Put the crumbs into a medium sized bowl.
Add brown sugar and whisk until combined and there are no lumps.
Add melted buttery spread. Stir until the mixture is crumbly.
Place the cookie crumb mixture into a 9-inch spring form cake pan. Using the flat bottom and sides of a drinking glass, pack down the crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake the crust until set but not browned for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

For pie filling:
Blend filling ingredients in a blender.
Place the cake pan on a baking sheet.
Pour the filling in the pie crust evenly to the edges.
Bake until the filing is just set, about 35-45 minutes. The center may appear soft, but will firm up when cooled. Let the pie cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled for 2 to 3 hours.

For whipped coconut cream layer:
While pie is cooling in refrigerator, place bowl and wire whip beater from your stand mixer in refrigerator or freezer to chill.
Prepare the coconut whipped cream by spooning the chilled coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Add sugar and vanilla.
Whip on medium high like you would whipping cream until it’s light and fluffy and there are no little chunks. Do not over beat.
Carefully spoon coconut cream on to pumpkin pie layer and smooth top with a spatula or back of a large spoon.
Mix decorative sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top. Save extra cinnamon sugar for garnishing individual pieces if you wish.
Refrigerate pumpkin pie until serving time if you like a mousse like pie. You can also freeze it for several hours if you prefer a firmer freezer like pie. Both are pumpkin-licious!

Adapted from recipes found at
https://www.thismamacooks.com/2016/09/gluten-free-deep-dish-pumpkin-coconut-cream-pie-recipe.html and https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-pumpkin-pie/