Brownie Pumpkin Pie with a Crunchy Pecan Topping

This Thanksgiving, I had dessert duty - something I was very glad to be assigned. For some reason, I always found dessert-making less stressful than main/side dish making.
Dessert is the ''fun'' dish...it's the dish you can dress to impress.

I wanted to make a vegan dessert that was easy, included the traditional pumpkin ingredient, but had a bit to that "Ooh" factor.

I paroozed some of my favorite food blogs and stumbled upon this little ditty from Angela of Oh She Glows: Brownie pumpkin pie with a crunchy pecan topping.

Oh, yes...this had traditional pumpkin, but also the little zing of a brownie crust and a crunchy, sugary, pecan topping. This was the winner.

Here's my variation on her recipe:

Brownie Pumpkin Pie with a Crunchy Pecan Topping

You'll need: 

Pumpkin brownie layer

1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup organic cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pumpkin pie layer
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
3 tbsp almond milk
2 tsp pumpkin pie spic
 Pecan topping
1/4 cup earth balance
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
3/4 cup pecans

To make: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a pie pan. 

2. For brownie layer: Using a hand mixer, mix together the coconut oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and sugar until blended. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking, soda, sea salt and mix until incorporated. Take the entire mixture and place in pie pan; spread evenly.

3. For pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix together the pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until all clumps are gone. Now add on top of brownie mixture.

4. For Pecan topping: Mix all ingredients until well combined and sprinkle on top of the pie. 

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes and then move to the fridge to chill for 1.5 hours.

This recipe produces a dense, moist, savory dish with multiple layers of flavors. You'll taste the cocoa in the crust, the gooey middle of pumpkin and spice, and also the caramelized brown sugar and pecan crunch.  

Do you prefer making dinner or dessert dishes? 

Do you have a go-to dessert recipe for the holdays, or do you like to take a risk with a new dish?