Happy Pi Day! Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Pie with Maple Coconut Cream

Happy Pi Day everyone!  Ah, March 14th, 3/14, where everyone stuffs their faces with pie (much more tasty than pi).  Math nerds, unite!  This latest challenge is none other than (duh)…PIE!  #yum.

Funny, I almost forgot about “pi” day this year, until my chiropractor’s office provided a gentle reminder of their annual “pie contest” on pi day of course (shout out to my peeps at Chiro One)!  I mean, doesn’t this just make for a perfect blog post?  Although it was a wee bit quick after Purim to make something new for this blog, yet again, I did remind Daniel that he didn’t have to re-invent the wheel with this one (and of course, we want to give you all some fresh new content).  “How about using some of your leftover BBQ chicken from your hamantaschen, or the smoked duck from the seudah, and making a pot pie?” But who am I kidding…would there actually BE leftovers?  (In case you’re wondering, yes, there were, let’s be honest, he did make 4 different proteins for like 5 meat-eating adults).

In any case, I got right to work on my pie.  I figured Peikes would make a savory pie (and boy was I right), but for this I wanted to go back to the basics – homemade coffee date nut crust, cocoa powder, sweet potato (your kids will NEVER know they’re eating sweet potato in this), chia seeds for that extra nutrition boost and all around yumminess.  This concoction was mostly a thought of “ok, what do I have in my pantry that I can work on getting rid of, because Pesach is around the corner?”  I ended up with canned organic pureed sweet potatoes (um, super easy and takes way less time than baking your own), raw cocoa powder, and some other yummy ingredients that you’ll see if you take a look at my recipe below. Oh and feel free to use whatever crust you want.  I happened to be making a big batch of my famous coffee coconut date balls (for a friend who had a baby and for a soon-to-be-mom at work), soI ended up using some leftover “date ball” mix for my piecrust. Yea…multitask for the win here. It’s easy to whip together in a food processor, plus it’s gluten free, vegan, soy free, dairy free and sugar free (but NOT taste free). 🙂

Wondering how I made the whipped coconut cream?  Thinking it’s going to be super difficult? Well, fear not my friends because this is the easiest homemade whipped cream (and healthiest) topping ever.  Step 1 – place 2 cans (1 can isn’t quite enough for this pie) of full fat coconut milk in the fridge. Step 2 – remove the cans and carefully remove the coconut cream that has risen and hardened at the top (save the coconut milk for another use).  Step 3 – place in bowl, add maple syrup and mix until fluffy peaks of creamy whipped topping are born (just FYI, it won’t be “exactly” like real whipped cream, so just note that, but it’s close enough, and oh yea, it tastes good too).  Step 4 – shmear on top of pie.  Step 5 – (cool in fridge and then), DEVOUR.  The yummiest part of this pie, in my opinion?  The coffee in the crust!

So that’s it my friends!  My pie for pi day.

Disclaimer: I do not take any responsibility for any extra weight gain on this day, from eating lots and lots o’ pie.

Comment below and let me know how your pie turned out! Also, let me know if you liked my recipe or Daniel’s better.  You can find his here: Happy Pi Day: Smoked Duck Personal Pot Pie

5 from 1 vote
Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Pie with Maple Coconut Cream
Prep Time
30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 30 mins
 
Servings: 1 pie
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup dates I like deglet noor, I just like the texture of them, and I don't have to remove the pits, WOOT
  • 1/2 cup nuts I like pecans, but for this one I used walnuts, because I was out, but use whatever you have on hand
  • 4 T almond milk I like the Califia Farms brand
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 T good quality ground coffee
  • 1 15 oz can organic pureed sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar
  • 2 T pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 1/4 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice - or just use any of these spices you have on hand
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup white chia seeds (this is my secret ingredient, instead of using other thickeners, I use chia seeds - they are a perfect thickener and you won't taste them at all, plus they're a great source of protein, omega-3's and antioxidants)
  • 2 cans Full-fat coconut milk
  • 2-4 T pure maple syrup Add in 1 tablespoon at a time and adjust sweetness as needed
Instructions
  1. Make the crust: add the first 5 ingredients into a food processor and mix until fully incorporated (here's the deal - I don't really measure when I make the crust, but I adjust if I need to - it the crust is too sticky, add in a handful of nuts, if it's too dry, add in a few more dates and some more almond milk. If you don't want coffee in it, omit it, or use leftover brewed coffee from earlier that morning).
  2. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with coconut oil.
  3. Press the crust and use your hands and fingers to press it in the bottom and up the sides.
  4. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the filling.
  5. Place the rest of the ingredients into a high-speed blender (to grind the chia seeds) until thickened. Pour into crust and place in fridge for 4 hours or until completely firm in the middle. Place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge while the pie is chilling.
  6. After a few hours, remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge, and very carefully, open the top and scoop out the solidified cream (save the milk for a later use).
  7. Place the cream in a stainless steel bowl and using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the coconut cream for a minute or so, and slowly add in the maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time (you can always add more sweetness). Whip until the maple syrup is incorporated and the cream gets a bit fluffy (it won't become the exact texture of whipped cream, but close). Add to the top of the pie and place in fridge to firm up.
  8. Serve chilled - ENJOY!

 

2 thoughts on “Happy Pi Day! Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Pie with Maple Coconut Cream”

  1. Yum Rach! I actually have organic pumpkin purée in a box. May use that in an organic gluten free pie shell I have in the freezer. So should I add a layer of ground dates, coffee and what else on top of pie shell before adding the filling? I usually add banana, egg and pumpkin pie spice to filling. Maybe I’ll add cooked sweet potatoes? Any other ideas?

     

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