Pumpkin Pie w/ Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust (Low Carb) and Crustless Pumpkin Pie

It's Monday, and as much as I really enjoyed getting the extra hour of sleep this weekend with the time change...I really don't like coming home when it's getting dark so early!  Yesterday, we celebrated my son's girlfriend's birthday and I made one of her favorites for dinner, "Sheri's Shepherds Pie" and also made a smaller low carb version for myself.  I sent almost all of the leftover regular version of shepherd's pie home with them (and sent home all of the cake).  I did keep enough shepherd's pie for us to have for dinner again this evening which means I don't have to cook tonight!  Since I was already in a baking mood yesterday, I decided to experiment with making a low carb pumpkin pie.  I created a Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust and for the filling, I used the basic recipe on the can of Libby's pure pumpkin puree as a general guide (with a few minor modifications).  I substituted 3/4 cup of Swerve (for the 3/4 cup of sugar in the original recipe).  I also substituted a combination of 8 ounces half-n-half (light cream) and almond milk (4 ounces each) for the 12-oz can evaporated milk called for in the recipe to help reduce the carbs a bit and reduce the liquid from 12 ounces to 8 ounces so the filling wouldn't be as liquidy.  To keep the nut crust from over cooking, I also reduced the pie's baking temperature a bit as well.  In case you've never baked with hazelnuts before, they are much darker than when using almond flour (might be partly due to the fact I usually use blanched almond flour too).  If you prefer to have individual crustless pumpkin pies instead, you can pour the filling into greased custard cups or ramekins and bake according to the baking instructions.  I did both -- 2 small pies with crust as well as a crustless pie baked in a small ramekin and both were good.  Making the crustless version makes it really quick to put together  See the photos of both below as well as the recipe.  Enjoy!

Voila!

These two are 6-inch "mini-pies"

BOOM!

Individual crustless pumpkin pie made by pouring the filling into a greased ramekin

Pumpkin Pie w/ Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust (Low Carb) 
or Crustless Pumpkin Pies (made without crust)

Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups Hazelnut meal
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup Swerve sweetener (or equivalent sweetener to 1/4 cup sugar)
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling
1 can (15-oz) pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin)
3/4 cup Swerve sweetener (or equivalent sweetener to 3/4 cup sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup half-n-half (or cream)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place all crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut butter and egg into almond flour, hazelnut meal, cinnamon and Swerve sweetener with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles small pebbles and the flour is thoroughly moistened (the same way you prepare a pie crust).  Press crust mixture into pie dish (I use a 10" pyrex pie dish) or 2 smaller 6" pyrex pie dishes or tart pans.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients well until smooth and well blended.  Pour filling into pie pan, dish or tart pan(s) with the lightly baked Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes; reduce heat one more time to 325 degrees and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool for about 2 hours; serve at room temperature or refrigerate.
 
***Note:  If making 2 smaller 6-inch pies or tarts like shown in the pictures, reduce almond flour to 1/2 cup and hazelnut meal to 1-1/2 cups as well as reduce cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon.  If you have extra pie filling left or prefer to have individual crustless pumpkin pies, pour filling into small greased custard cups or ramekins and follow the baking instructions.  The pie is done when a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.