Coconut Milk Chocolate Cream Pie

I recently made some Black Bean Cookies that were basically fantabulous, and seeing as how I had forgot to set a few beans aside for the final photos when I made them (I needed accents!), I had to open up a whole new can and steal a few. This meant I had some set aside which just urgently needed to be used for some other baked goodie.

The Black Bean Cookies went over so well just recently that I wanted more. But I wanted something new at the same time. What about using that cookie as a pie crust? Hmm...

In keeping with the "healthier" version theme, I decided to do a different take on chocolate cream pie, using coconut milk pudding.

I made the pudding just as I had other puddings, in a saucepan. Rather than tapioca or corn starch as I've used in the past, I found a recipe that used Xantham gum (which I grabbed not long ago but had yet found the opportunity to use). I whisked egg yolks and coconut sugar (not much better than sugar from a health perspective, but goes with my coconut theme).

I heated the coconut milk (the thick, canned kind, not the carton variety) over medium heat until it began to simmer. I then spooned some of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly so the eggs would not scramble. Once about half the hot milk was in with the eggs and they were nice and warm, I dumped the bowl into the sauce pan and whisked it. Then, the xantham gum was mixed in and I added the cocoa powder and some chocolate chips for bonus flavor. I let this cook for 2-3 minutes, frequently stirring it, then added some coconut oil, vanilla and almond extracts, removed it from the heat and let it cool.

For the crust, I used my Black Bean Cookie recipe, however the crust of your choice will do. For me, I just made the cookie batter and put it into a pie dish sprayed with nonstick baking spray.

I baked the crust for 15 minutes, then took it out to cool. It had fluffed up a bit (this was a cookie recipe after all), so I scooped out some of the center to create a nice valley for the filling. After both the crust and filling cooled down, I poured the filling into the pie dish and refrigerated it for several hours to set it.

Sure enough, the filling solidified well and I was left with a beautiful black bean based pie.

As if I wasn't already pleased with my prior cookie experiment, this really took things over the top. I love chocolate cream pie (who doesn't?) and learning I could wind up with a great tasting dessert made from such unique ingredients makes me excited for more experimenting. Swap out the butter in the original cookie recipe for coconut oil and skip the chocolate chips and you've got yourself a completely non-dairy chocolate dessert. Bon appetit.

Coconut Milk Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (13.5 ounces)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pie crust (I used my Black Bean Cookie recipe baked in a pie dish)

Instructions:

Add coconut milk to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Beat the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl, then whisk in sugar. Continue mixing milk until it begins to simmer, them temper eggs by spooning in some of the hot coconut milk and whisking the mixture, until the bowl is warm. Slowly stir the tempered eggs into the coconut milk, whisking frequently.  Reduce heat to medium low. Mix in xantham gum, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. Stir for about 3 minutes, allowing the mixture to thicken, t hen remove from heat. Stir in coconut oil, vanilla, and almond extracts and set aside to cool. Pour into pie crust before pudding is fully set, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

filling adapted from chocolate coconut milk pudding