When it comes to desserts, I don’t mess around.
I am generally not a fan of pie, or pastry for that matter. I detest dryness and tend to leave the lardy, flaky crust behind and enjoy the tasty filling (assuming it’s homemade and not out of a can). This pie, on the other hand, has a simple minimal crust (or no crust at all if you prefer!) – it’s almost more of a cheesecake… mmm so good!
Drizzled with homemade raspberry sauce or topped with fresh berries, this “pie” is all of my favourite dessert qualities rolled into one. It’s creamy, rich, substantial and not too sweet. But most importantly, it’s chocolate.
It’s vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free, too! I also love this pie because you can make it ahead of time and even freeze it for weeks – perfect to bring to pot lucks and parties… assuming there are no nut allergies!
I make a similar, non-chocolate version of this pie (Lemon-Berry cashew cream cake).
- Filling:
- 1½ - 2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- ¾ cup maple syrup (or date paste -- soaked and pureed dates)
- ½ cup coconut oil (or cacao butter)
- ½ cup cocoa powder (or sub in some melted choc chips)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Optional Crust:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup nuts (I've used almond meal, or ground pecans)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup or date paste
- ½ tsp sea salt
- For the filling:
- Soak cashews for a few hours, or overnight. Strain and rinse.
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. (Note: if you are using chocolate chips, melt them with your coconut oil -- I used a make-shift double boiler, i.e. a small saucepan over top of a larger pot of boiling water; however, most often I skip this step and go with straight cocoa powder).
- Prepare crust (if desired) or pour the filling mixture directly into an 8" round Pyrex pie plate or a square Pyrex dish (no need to grease the pan!).
- Cover and freeze for about 3 hours, overnight or for up to 2 weeks. Once the pie has set, you can transfer to the fridge for storage, or leave it in the freezer (keeping in mind that it will require about 30+ min to defrost prior to serving).
- Slice and enjoy as is, with sauce or fresh berries.
- If you would like crust with your pie:
- Combine all of the crust ingredients in a blender (for this small quantity I like to use my Magic Bullet).
- Once evenly blended, press the mixture into a Pyrex pie plate.
- Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Allow to cool and then pour the filling mixture over top. Cover and freeze as above.
This pie keeps well in the freezer, but needs about 30 min to defrost before serving. If you plan on eating it sooner, I like to keep it in the fridge (so that I can sneak bites without delays).
Eat well. Cook with your kids. Embrace natural movement. Reduce waste. Be well. 
Do you need to grease the pie plate?
It will be the first dessert I make when we get home! Will rate it when I try it but sounds fool-proof.
No need to grease the pan even 🙂