<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello Everyone!

Many thanks to everyone who wrote me with suggestions for a graham cracker
type pie crust!  I literally got near 100 responses.  You are all fabulous!
Many people recommended "graham-like" crackers made by Kinnikinnick Foods and
Rice Bran Crackers from Health Valley.  Lots of people sent me recipes which I
have included in the summary!  Enjoy!
-Anjel in NY

Hi, In Bette Hagman's cookbook, More From The Gluten Free Gourmet, page  87,
is a recipe called "Mock Graham Crackers".  I made them and they are very
much like graham crackers that could be crushed and used as a pie crust.
I use Ener-G biscotti cookies. It has a slight almond flavor. I use it
in all of my cheesecakes and my non celiac friends and relatives have
started using it also because they prefer it to graham crackers.

I recently attended a celiac meeting where there was a table full of
gluten-fre cookbooks, and after flipping through them, i decided to copy a recipe for
Vanilla Cheesecake.  I am unsure of the name, but will give you the recipe for
the crust.  I have not tried to make it yet, but if you do, let me know how
it works, and tastes!!
Ingredients:
Butter for greasing
4 cups of cornflakes
quarter cup superfine sugar
half of a stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, 160 degrees C.  Using melted butter, grease an
8" spring-form pan.  To make crust, place the cornflakes, sugar and melted
butter in a food processor and process until fairly fine, or place in a plastic
bag and crush with rolling pin.  Place in the bottom of the prepared pan and
press down with a metal spoon to create an even layer.

Authentic Foods does.
There Pie Crust Mix.
You will find it at http://www.glutenfree-supermarket.com
Select baking mixes, pie crust Steve

I use Mi-Del gluten-free ginger snaps. I just grind them in my food processor
and mix the crumbs with melted butter. I used this crust for pumpkin pie at
Thanksgiving, too, and it was a big hit.

I have used crushed Glutano chocolate chip cookies as a crust (add butter,
sugar).  We also have a recipe on our support group webiste www.dfwceliac.org,
under "Recipes" for a key lime pie which uses crushed Pamela's lemon cookies as
the crust.  One of the gluten free vendors sells gf (mock) graham cracker
crumbs.  It might be Kinnikinnick or Gluten Free Pantry so check their websites.
Use your imagination and a substitution can be found!  Betty/Fort Worth, TX

I use Pamela's Cookies -
either the lemon or the pecan cookies.  Both of them are good, I like the
pecan the best but the lemon give great flavor also.  I crush them up by
hand, add a tablespoon or so of melted butter press into the pie plate and
continue with the cheesecake recipe.

Hi ,I use finely minced pecans butter cornstarch little salt and sugar.I do
it by feel realy ,different proportions for different size spring form pans .I
bake it blind for a short time then fill and bake as for regular cheese
cake.This is a realy good crust almost indistinguishable from graham crust.good luck
jeff in balto.

I take a bag of Mi-Del gluten free animal crackers, crush them in the food
processor, mix with 1/3 cup melted margarine, and form the crust with those

Try using 3 cups of crushed corn flakes, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup
melted butter/margarine. Mix together, press into pan, bake for 5 - 6 minutes
at 350 F, then
continue with your cheese cake. Hope you like it,Joan

Kinnikinnick, my savior, makes both graham-style crumbs and crackers. My son
has celiac and I bring the crackers with us when we visit the Cosi coffee bars
which serve s'mores. He's in heaven. Back to the pie crust: just add melted
unsalted butter and some granulated sugar and mix to the proper consistency.
Press into pie plate. I think Kinnikinnick has a more explicit recipe, but I
just winged it and it turned out great. Depends on your pie recipe whether you
need to pre-bake the crust or not. The weird thing about their graham crackers
is that they smell exactly the same as the real thing. I don't know how they do
it. Kinnikinnick is in Alberta, Canada. Great for pre-made pizza crusts, NY
style bagels, donuts, etc. Really a lifesaver.
As an alternative, you can also use Pamela's shortbread cookies finely
crushed with melted butter added. The pecan ones make a great crust. I've also used
just finely chopped nuts (whatever kind complement your recipe) with a caramel
base to hold them together pressed into the pie pan. This is amazing with
apple pie. Yum.
Good baking. -Susan, NYC
I also suspect that any GF cookies could be crushed and melted GF margarine,
or butter, or even oil added to them, perhaps with a little more sugar so it
can melt and be sticky to help hold it together, to use for pie crust. Also, GF
dry cereal could be crushed and used the same way.  Happy crusting, Olive
Quick and Easy Pie Crust - on the Authentic Foods Almond Meal Bag.
1 cup Almond Meal
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 T chilled butter
1 1/2 T of cream or non dairy cream
In a food processor, blend all ingredients until dough clumps together.
Chill 15 minutes.  Roll out dough on wax paper dusted with either cornstarch or
tapioca flour.  Transfer to a 9 inch tart pan.
I used this to make the little individual "pecan pie" tarts, in mini muffin
tins, and we loved them.  My daughter is gluten free, dairy free, so I
substituted oil for the butter, and rice milk for the cream, although likely coconut
cream could also be used.  (I haven't tried it.)

Here is a recipe for a pecan based crust. I use it for pumpkin pie, but it
should work really well for cheesecake too.
Angela Taylor (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Pie Crust
1 1/4 cup of ground nuts
6 Tbls. melted butter
1 Tbls. Splenda (or sugar)
Mix together and spread on the bottom of dish. Place in the refridgerator
while the interior of the pie (cheesecake) is mixed up.
Note: I was just thinking that almonds would work really well for cheesecake
too. I usually put some cinnamon in the mix, but I'm not sure how well that
will work with cheesecake.

I am a celiac who works for Enjoy Life Foods. I wanted to share my favorite
pie crust recipe, which is soooo easy and tastes great with lots of different
fillings:
For Crust:
2 cups Enjoy Life Foods cinnamon crunch granola
2 Tbs tapioca or rice flour
1 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs butter, margarine or safflower oil
dash salt (optional) Grind granola in food processor or blender until fine.
Add remaining crust ingredients and process until well blended.
Press crust into greased 8 or 9" pie plate. Bake in oven at 350 for 5-10 min
until golden brown. Refridgerate until set.Add filling and serve or bake
again, depending on instructions. Enjoy!  p.s. the granola is GFCF and also made
without nuts, eggs, corn, or soy. Hope this helps...Cindy Kaplan

I have two suggestions.  I sometimes order "Graham Cracker Type Cracker
Crumbs" from Kinnikinnick in Canada.  They work really well in any recipe that
calls for graham cracker crumbs.
Another alternative:  l cup GF flour mixture
                            1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
                             1 stick margarine, melted
Mix these three ingredients and pat in the bottom of your pan and bake at 350
degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool, then proceed as you would with a regular
crust.
This mixture might make more than you need for one cheesecake but you could
store the remainder in the refrigerator for future use or make half the recipe.
Hope this helps.
Patsy in Atlanta

pie crust ingredients
1 and 1/4 cups almond meal
1 T butter or margerine
1/2 t cinnamon
1 - 2 t sugar, to taste
pinch salt
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
1. mix almond meal and butter in food processor by quick pulsing (don't
overdo it, or you'll have almond butter, not pie crust)
2. add rest of ingredients, using quick pulses. If dough is too wet, add more
almond meal
3. press dough into a 8 inch pie plate
4. bake in preheated 350 oven for about 8 minutesit's easy.....just grind up
gf cookies with about 1/4 cup
sugar and enough melted butter to hold it togerther.
BUT..you don't ned a crust for cheesecakes....grease sides of
pan, aprinkle with cookie crumbs, ground nuts, or nothing.
Just make sure you ALWAYS use a water bath [bain marie]


My sister-in-law is an amazing cook.  She made a chocolate cheesecake once
with the Archway coconut macaroons squished on the bottom as the crust.  It was
delicious!
Happy baking!


I use either Pamelas shortbread or ginger cookies - an entire box. Then I
follow Bette Hagman's recipe for a cookie crust.  Without looking, I think I
crush the cookies, add 2 tbsp. melted butter, some cinnamon, nutmeg and spread in
a pie plate.  I use this for cheesecake all the time.  It is absolutely
delicious and no one ever knows it's gf.  I think it's much better than those store
bought graham crusts.
Good Luck,
Julie

I use crushed gluten free ginger snaps and throw in a
few almonds.  I think this is a tasty substitute for
graham cracker crusts for cheesecakes.
Colleen

Health Valley makes rice bran crackers, i buy them at Whole Foods.  Use them
in place of graham crackers, it comes out great.
Vicki

I use Mesa Sunrise cereal, crushed with melted butter added to give it the
consistency to mold in the bottom of the pan.


I have used the Mi-Del ginger snaps and pecan cookies
according to my regular old recipes for graham cracker
crusts with good results.  Use the ginger snap crust
for flavored cheese cakes (I used it for a
Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake- to die for!) and the
pecan cookies for plain cheesecake or such things as
peanut butter pies.  Just make sure to crush up the
pecans really well.

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List *