Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

I’m still working on the perfect dairy free pumpkin pie, but this dairy free chocolate coconut cream pie has been a happy substitute in the mean time. It’s quite similar to my world famous chocolate haupia pie (which really needs a new photo, how embarrassing!) thanks to the coconut chocolate filling. The filling is thickened with cornstarch rather than eggs,  making it vegan as well.

This pie is rich, decadent, creamy, and satisfyingly chocolatey, which is just what this mama needs around the holidays. It’s been mind blowing how quickly Corban has grown and changed, and his speed demon crawling and monkey climbing is definitely adjusting my holiday decor plans.

But I really do love watching him hit little milestones, even if they sometimes make me cry because he’s growing up too quickly.

He has a wicker laundry basket of toys in the living room, and I usually take a few out of it and put them on the floor near his little standing table activity center. Yesterday I was cooking in the kitchen and realize I couldn’t hear him playing any more. I sneaked around the corner (knowing if he was doing fine and then saw me, he might stop being fine. You know how that goes!), and peered over the gate. He was standing up, holding onto the side of the toy basket, and digging through it to pick a toy. I couldn’t believe it!

He has also been letting go of things while standing, testing out his balance for a few precarious seconds and then expertly dropping to his knees right when we’re sure he’s going to fall and hit his head.

Of course all these physical developments also come with personality developments. He now understands very clearly when we are keeping him from something he wants, and makes his displeasure known. The biggest battle is the dog’s water and food dish. We have an 80 pound German Shepherd, and although the dog REALLY loves Corban, sometimes they fight over toys and attention.

Because of this, we never leave them unsupervised together, but now that Corban moves so fast, even supervised playtime can get hairy. The other night I fed the dog right before leaving the house, and was setting the diaper bag by the door when I turned to see Corban had left my feet and was standing next to the dog, playing in the food the dog was currently eating.

I heaped praise on the dog, and very clearly told Corban that this belonged to Phurba and was not for him. Corban screamed in my face. That was the moment I knew my ten month old was now a toddler.

At times his defiance is also funny though.

Last week while grammie babysat, Corban was petting our cat Haldir, and not very gently. Haldir gave him a warning cry, and when Corban continued, Haldir reached out and swatted him. When Corban still didn’t stop, Haldir gently grabbed Corban’s hand in his mouth, which caused Corban to glare at him. Once Haldir let go, Corban tried again, and Haldir gave a loud yowl. So Corban scrunched up his face, leaned forward, and yelled right back at him.

He has no fear. We are in trouble.

Ah, I love my little munchkin so much, and am excited he is growing up with animals like I did. Do any of you have funny or helpful stories of raising small children with pets?

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Yield: 8

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

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This rich, creamy, decadent chocolate coconut pie is dairy free, and easily gluten free or vegan as well. Though it's 4 hours to make, most of that time is spent chilling the pie.

Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs, you can use vegan or gluten free
• 8 TBS melted coconut oil
• 19 oz can Mae Ploy Coconut Milk, divided
• 3/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sucanat or granulated sugar
• 2 TBS organic cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with coconut oil. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
4. Pour all but 1/4 cup of the coconut milk into a medium pot. Add chocolate chips and sucanat. Heat on high, stirring constantly until chocolate is completely melted.
5. Using a fork, whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk until smooth. Stir this into the chocolate coconut milk and continue stirring on high heat until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
6. Pour coconut filling into crust. Let cool, then refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Notes

Approximate cost/serving: I get the big 19oz cans of coconut milk for about $2 at Cash and Carry, so check your local restaurant supply store. This cost me about $4 to make so just 50 cents a serving.

Vegetarian/Gluten free: Make sure to use the appropriate graham crackers to make this vegan or gluten free, as well as dairy free chocolate chips.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

8 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387Saturated Fat: 24.49gSodium: 70.31mgCarbohydrates: 24.67gFiber: 1gSugar: 16.53gProtein: 3.41g