Making apple pie always reminds me of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Even making an upside-down vegan and gluten-free version of apple pie, thoughts of the Disney princess would drift into my head especially while I rolled out the dough before draping over the apple filling.

Another thought that comes to mind is the term “easy as pie”…which is true only if you have a couple tricks up your sleeve. The easiest method I’ve found is by using very cold butter that’s been sliced into small cubes, then making the dough using the food processor, and gathering up the dough into a large plastic bag to gather into a ball, that way the warmth of your hands doesn’t start melting the butter pieces dispersed in the pie dough. Another important step that’s helps making pie easier is to roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper…you avoid any dough sticking to the rolling pin, and then helps make it easier to transfer the dough where it needs to go.

I’ve followed the same method I usually use for traditional pie dough, however using coconut oil instead of the butter, and a mixture of gluten-free flours to replace the all-purpose wheat flour. The recipe has been adapted to make it simpler from the gluten-free baking book Alternative Baker. If you are gluten-intolerant then I highly recommend this book. I’m absolutely loving it. It does have some vegan options, but most of the recipes are not. You will probably find more vegan options on the author’s website The Bojon Gourmet.

If you’re planning to use the dough recipe with another type of filling, keep in mind the coconut flavor is quite evident. If you’re not vegan and more interested in the fact that it’s gluten-free then replace the coconut oil with cold unsalted butter cutting it into small cubes, then follow the method as below for the dough. You can also do the same in the pie filling, but this time using melted butter.

The taste of this pie is a cross between apple and pecan pie. So if you prefer pecans, go ahead and replace the walnuts. Either way let me know how you get on when you try this recipe. I know the list of ingredients is a bit long, and there are many steps, but it is certainly worth it. I’m having a slice two days later as I write this post and it tastes just as good warmed up in the oven. You can always make the dough a day ahead to save you time the day you plan to make the pie.