Coconut Cream Pie

 

Ingredients

(See preparation of olive oil before baking)

For the crust:
10 oz vegan vanilla cookies (should equal 1 3/4 cups once crushed)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (refined or virgin)
1 tablespoon plain non-dairy milk

For the filling:
1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least two hours and up to overnight
1 13 oz can coconut milk at room temperature
3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (can be replaced with non-dairy milk)
1/2 teaspoon agar agar powder
2/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons coconut oil (refined or virgin)
1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (can be replaced with vanilla)

For garnish: Blackberries and coconut flakes

Procedure

Prepare the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and have ready a 9 inch pie dish.
2. In a blender, pulse the cookies into fine crumbs. They should measure out to be 1 3/4 cups.
3. 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.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.

Make the filling:

1. 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.
2. In the meantime, stir together the the milk, agar agar, and sugar in a small (2 quart) sauce pot.
3. 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.
4. 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. )