COCONUT CREAM PIE

Makes one 9-inch pie

Crust

10 oz vegan vanilla cookies (~1¾ cups once processed)

2 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp melted coconut oil (refined or virgin)

1 Tbsp plain non-dairy milk (I prefer almond)

Filling

½ cup cashews, soaked in water for at least two hours and up to overnight

1 13 oz can coconut milk at room temperature

¾ cup plain unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)

½ tsp agar agar powder

⅔ cups sugar

3 Tbsp coconut oil (refined or virgin)

1 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract (optional, another teaspoon vanilla will work, too)

Garnish

Blackberries and coconut flakes

Prepare the crust

Preheat oven to 350℉ and have ready a 9 inch pie dish.

In a blender, pulse the cookies into fine crumbs. They should measure out to be 1 ¾ cups. (You don’t have to clean the blender after this, you can just get out as many of the crumbs as you can, and then proceed with the filling recipe which follows.)

In a mixing bowl combine cookie crumbs and sugar, then drizzle in melted coconut oil. Mix to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the milk and mix again to form a crumbly dough. Use another tablespoon of milk if it seems very dry. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and press crumbs on the sides then work your way down to the bottom.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.

Make the filling

Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor or blender. Blend with the coconut milk until totally smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. This can take up to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your machine, but give your blender a break every minute or so, and check frequently that the mixture feels smooth and not grainy.

In the meantime, stir together the milk, agar, and sugar in a small (2 quart) sauce pot.

Bring mixture to a boil, stirring pretty consistently. Once boiling, lower the heat so that you’re just getting small bubbles. Let cook for about 5 minutes, then add the coconut oil and mix until melted.

With the blender running, stream the hot mixture in until thoroughly blended, then add the extracts and pulse a few times to combine. Stir in the shredded coconut, but don’t blend it again, just mix it with a spatula – you want the coconut to remain intact. (It’s important that the mixture goes in hot, and is poured into the crust immediately, to prevent it from setting up before it’s in the pie.)

Transfer mixture to the prepared pie crust (being careful not to overfill) and refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours. The filling is very thin at first, but that is how it’s supposed to be, so don’t worry, it will thicken as it sets.

Once set, slice and serve! Top with coconut flakes and a berry, if you like. If not using immediately, wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to 4 days.

Recipe via Vegan Pie in the Sky, by Isa Chandra.