Date Free Raw Pie Crust

Look at that beautiful healthy crust!! 

Almost every single raw dessert crust out there consists of nuts mixed with dates. 

In a nutshell (pun intended- because let's face it- that's just funny) raw foodies use a nut-date mixture because it solidifies well thanks to the sticky gooey texture of the dates once they are blended. The dates also give the crust its glorious sweet taste!

But dates are pricey! And at times hard to find. I never buy mine from grocery chain stores because of the price. But I'll buy bags from wholesale distributors like Sams Club or Costco because you get more for your money- but my local wholesale distributors have been out for weeks so I had to get creative....

Fast forward to this pretty date-free crust! Nuts are filled with healthy fats and oils. So when you blend them some of those oils are released and the nuts begin sticking to each other. But not enough for a pie crust.... so I added a bit of raw maple syrup and BAM - a gooey ball of "dough" was formed!

Simply blend together your nuts of choice (almonds, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, and cashews are all good choices) and add a Tbsp or 2 of raw maple syrup (depending on the size of your pie and how many nuts you end up using.)

I'm so happy with the maple syrup alternative that I'll likely forgo the dates for most of my crusts from now on. Don't get me wrong- I love me a nut-date crust! But this worked just as well and was way easier to deal with than the sticky mess usually left behind in my blender after the dates have decided to glue themselves to every nook and cranny of my blender and blades. 

YOU WILL NEED: 
Pie Tin or Pan of choice for your goodies
Nuts
Raw Maple Syrup.

RECIPE:
1 cup Walnuts
1 cup Pecans
1-2 Tbsp of raw/real Maple Syrup
Sea Salt to taste'


DIRECTIONS:
Place nuts in a blender and blend until its nothing but crumbs. You may need to stop your blender occasionally to scrape the nuts off the sides and push them back into the center of the blades but once your "dough" becomes wet from the oils and the pieces are small enough dump it into a bowl.

Your nuts will likely be a mixture of dry powder and moist clumps. This is perfect because you don't want it too wet or once you add the maple syrup you'll just end up with mush.

At this stage add the salt (1/2 tsp or so) and the maple syrup a little at a time until you reach the consistency you like. I like mine sticky to the touch but dry enough to form into a ball.

Now comes the fun part (at least for my kids). Smash the "dough" into the pie tin bottom and form it to your pie tin. I do this by simply pushing it to the corners... and then up the corners, pulling from places where I put too much and putting more where I put too little.

Now your crust is DONE! Refrigerate until you are ready to fill it with raw yummy goodness. These also freeze really well with parchment paper and a vacuum sealer.

ENJOY!