One of my all time favorite desserts is chocolate pie, better known as French Silk pie. There’s just something about the way the decadent, creamy chocolate melts in your mouth that seems to make all of your worries wash away.
But of course, like most prepared foods that I take the time to investigate, the ingredient list is usually full of unrecognizable ingredients. In attempt to make a somewhat healthier version, I set out to bake my own chocolate pie at home. Then as I paged through all of the traditional recipes, I found that most recipes use raw eggs, loads of butter, sugar and heavy cream.
I honestly can’t tell you the last time I bought butter or heavy cream and the thought of eating raw eggs makes me gag a little. Feeling defeated, I decided I will save those cravings for the next time I’m out to eat at a nice restaurant or bakery, where I can tell myself that they use all natural ingredients and ignore the thought of raw eggs.
Then recently, I found myself perusing Marin Mama’s site and saw a recipe for a dark chocolate pie made with a coconut crust that stopped me in my tracks. As a lover of dark chocolate and coconut, I absolutely had to make this happen in my kitchen. Jackie’s recipe didn’t have any added sugar or raw eggs; just heavy cream and butter which I could easily replace with vegan margarine and coconut cream.
Somehow after moving through three different states, I managed to lose my pie dish but the recipe worked fine as mini pies made in my muffin tin.
The tricky part is that the coconut can burn pretty easily, so you have to get fancy and cover the parts on the edges with tin foil so that they don’t burn in the oven.
I cooked mine for ten minutes with the foil on and then five more without the foil but I’m sure you could cook it less or more depending on how crispy you like the coconut.
The crust comes out with slightly crunchy edges but the inside still has that delicious soft and chewy coconut texture.
And I think the chocolate filling speaks for itself. It’s not as light and airy as French silk pie but it’s still creamy and chocolately enough to satisfy the craving.
Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Pies
Ingredients
6 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
32 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
12 ounces dark chocolate
1 can regular coconut milk, chilled overnight
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin.
- Place 1 cup of the coconut into a food processor along with the Earth Balance and coconut oil. Pulse for thirty seconds until the Earth Balance appears well-blended with the coconut.
- Remove the mixture and place it into a large bowl with the remaining coconut. Combine everything with your fingers until it is all mixed together well.
- Taking a few tablespoons of the mixture at a time, press it into the muffin tin, shaping it up the sides to form a crust. Continue until you have used all of the mixture which should make ten mini pies.
- Cover muffin tin with a sheet of tinfoil and then feel for the center of each one and poke a hole with a sharp knife. Pull the tinfoil back so that hole is about 2 inches in diameter.
- Place muffin tin in the oven and cook for ten minutes and then check to see if it is starting to brown on the edges. If so, then remove foil and cook for another five minutes until light golden brown. If not, cook for another five minutes before removing the foil and cooking uncovered for five minutes. The coconut can burn if you don’t keep an eye on it, so be sure to stay in the kitchen while you’re baking the crust.
- You can start making the filling while the crust is cooking by heating a sauce pan over medium heat. Pour off the liquid from the top of the coconut milk then pour the remaining cream into the pot. It’s okay if the cream isn’t completely solidified, just pour the liquid in the pot and heat until it starts to bubble. Chop your chocolate with a knife or break it apart with your fingers then add it to the saucepan. Turn the heat to low and stir until chocolate and coconut cream are well-combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into each muffin tin and then put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- When you are ready to remove them from the muffin tin, you will have to use a butter knife to release the edges.
Notes
Adapted from Marin Mama Cooks
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or cool room temperature for up to one week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
http://makingthymeforhealth.com/2013/10/30/vegan-dark-chocolate-coconut-pies/
I almost added almond pieces to the filling but in the end, I decided to keep it simple. Next time, I want to try making the crust from almonds and unsweetened coconut to see how that turns out. Oh, and have an extra can of coconut milk for coconut whipped cream on top. I really wanted to have that for the pictures but alas, I was too lazy to go the store.
Well, Halloween is tomorrow {err, today} and the only plans I have are to go to the dentist! Is that a sign I’m getting old? It sure sounds like it.
I hope your Halloween is spooktacular! Muawuahahaaha. {By the way, I’m really glad you can’t hear how that sounds in person.}
What are your plans for Halloween? Are you dressing up?
