Lately, I’ve been reflecting on lessons that I’ve learned since changing my career path and branching out on my own 4 and 1/2 years ago. Trying to pursue a new field in which I had no prior experience and grow a business feels like a rollercoaster most of the time. There are many ups and downs! Disappointments. Set backs. Progress. Self-Doubt. Excitement. Stress. Gratitude. Growth. Burn out. Deal Breakers. It’s been such a crazy ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Well, there is one thing I would do differently – I would’ve hired an accountant much sooner than I did. They are worth their weight in gold.
Other than that, I’m a firm believer that the mistakes and tough times are incredibly valuable. I’ve learned to believe in myself which was never something that came to me naturally. I’ve turned down opportunities and walked away from deals because they didn’t have my best interests at heart. While scary at the time, those are some of my proudest moments because I was true to myself and what I believe in.
Whatever path you happen to be on, believe in yourself. Stick to your guns if it’s important to you! When you have a bad feeling about something, listen to your gut. And most importantly, don’t let someone else convince you that you’re nothing without them. It just isn’t true. You might just be one person, but you are everything to your vision. Maybe your journey won’t look exactly as you thought it would, but sometimes that’s for the better anyway. If you have the passion and drive for something go after it and share it proudly with the world. We’re anxiously waiting to see it.
I’m happy to say that I’m getting into a good groove again with recipe development. Look at me posting on a Saturday of all days! Recipe ideas are starting to flow and most of my trials are turning out, almost effortlessly at times. It feels good after a long period of feeling drained on the creativity front. For the first time in a long while, I actually know the next recipe I’m posting on this blog which hasn’t happened in probably 6 months. hah. (Spoiler alert – you’ll never see Tabbouleh the same way again).
This pie. Finally, I get to this pie. Well, it didn’t last long! What else is there to say? I threw together a simple crust made with almonds, oats, coconut oil, and maple syrup. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I prefer this type of press-in crust over traditional flour pie crusts because the flavour is just incomparable. Plus, no rolling or kneading. It’s a no brainer.
The other day I was making my 2-Ingredient Chocolate Frosting and I realized it would make a fun, truffle-like pie filling because it hardens nicely when chilled. I paired it with a warm strawberry vanilla compote to serve on top. The compote is totally optional, but the cold and warm contrast was really nice! It’s also a great way to use up bruised berries that are on their last legs.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Chilled Dark Chocolate Pie with a Toasted Almond Crust and Strawberry Vanilla Compote
Yield
12 servings
Prep time
Rest time
30 minutes
Cook time
Chill time
2 hours
Total time
Pie crust adapted from pecan pie crust.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
For the filling
- 1 bag dark chocolate chips (about 340 grams)1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge overnightLiquid sweetener, to taste (optional – I used 2 tbsp maple syrup)Pinch of salt1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the strawberry compote (optional)
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and diced2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or other sweetener), to taste1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Directions
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 350⁰F and lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil. Add almonds into a food processor and process until a fine crumb forms, the size of sand. Now add the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and oat flour and process again until the dough comes together. Finally, pulse in the rolled oats until the oats are finely chopped, but still have some texture to them. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers. If it doesn’t, try processing for a bit longer.
- With your fingers, crumble the dough evenly over the base of the pie dish. Starting from the middle, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the dish, moving outward and upward along the side of the pie dish. The harder you press the crumbs into the dish, the more it will hold together. Poke 5-6 fork holes into the bottom to let the air escape.
- Bake pie crust, uncovered, at 350⁰F for 10-13 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.
- For the filling: Chill can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the cream can solidify. When ready, open the can and carefully scoop out the solid white coconut cream into a pot, discarding the water. Add chocolate chips and stir until combined. Heat over low-medium heat until most of the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in the optional sweetener, salt, and vanilla until smooth.
- For the strawberry compote: Add diced strawberries into a pot and increase heat to medium. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) until no clumps remain. Add to strawberries and stir. Increase heat and bring mixture to a simmer and cook the strawberries for around 9-12 minutes or longer, until thickened and soft. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Assembly: Pour chocolate filling into pie crust and smooth out. Place in the freezer, on an even surface, for a minimum of 2 hours, or until firm throughout. Allow pie to sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes before attempting to slice. Slicing the first piece of pie is quite tricky, but I promise the second slice comes out much easier! Serve the pie chilled with the optional compote on top. Wrap leftover pieces of pie in tin foil and store in the freezer for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Hope your weekend squeezes in some chocolate, fun, sun, & relaxation!
Yummy!! Is it possible to use a can of lite coconut milk? I have one in my pantry lying around/it’s the only one I’ve got lol
Hi Andrea, Im not sure, this was my first attempt – I think lite milk would yield a less creamy and maybe “ice-milk” consistency, but not sure. Let me know if you try it out!
Made this yesterday with lite coconut milk and it was great! Thanks for the wonderful recipe :) The crust is to die for! Overall, such a great combination of flavours and textures :)
This looks amazing! I stumbled upon your website about a month ago when I decided to switch to a vegan/gluten-free diet for health reasons. Your posts and recipes are so inspiring and I can’t wait to see more from you!
Mmm…i was looking for something chocolatey for my birthday. Brilliant post about trusting in yourself, I find it so easy to tell friends to believe in themselves. I only wish I could take my own advice. Xxx
What a beautiful post Angela- words and images :) You should be so proud of all you’ve achieved and even more so for staying true to yourself.
I’ve made a tart with the same idea for the filling- the chocolate coconut milk mix, and loved it- insanely rich though! Your combination of oaty crust, sweet strawberries and rich gooey chocolate look incredible.
Oh my goodness- I love everything about this post!
Good for you for living your own path, and finding the way it works for you. Mistakes are absolutely ok to make, but sometimes hard to admit that we’ve made them. Thanks for your honesty. And yay to accountants- as I am one :)
This pie looks amazing! I will definitely be making it…once I’m back in Canada :)
This looks delicious! I just started following your blog and going through old recipes, and it’s amazing!
How much coconut cream was used? I have a giant can of coconut cream at home, could I sub that in instead?
Hey Rene, I think the amount per can is usually around 3/4-1 cup depending on the brand. Hope this helps! :)
Look at the texture of the filling! My goodness…
Beautiful recipe with very helpful pictures. Gotta pin this!
I found this post to be very inspiring. Good job on making it to where you are now :). The picture at the bottom makes me wish I could reach through the screen and take a bite! I’ll have to make this to see how wonderful it tastes.
YUM. I’d kill for that cold chocolate pie right now.
Can’t wait to make this, my fella is going to love it! Thank you!
Wow! What a delight, I hope to make this or something I hope half as yummy for my next party! Thanks for sharing your incredible recipe :-). Love + shine Courtstar
I love this post Angela. And I really love the look and sound of the pie too :)
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear you found your groove back! We all knew you would! Angela thank you for your positive message above. You don’t even know how that inspired me, nor do you know the example you’ve been to me in more ways than you could know. Four years ago I fell in love with your blog and it became proof that my same dream and same issues with food and eating disorders could be turned into something beautiful.
Since I started blogging, I’ve had many people tell me blogging was silly or a waste of time. Funny enough, they never even bothered to read it! However, I always thought back to you and knew my dream wasn’t silly. Thank you for rekindling that spirit in my heart with this message. I know you will continue to be an inspiration to us all time and time again, and we all believe in you, no matter what bumps you may find down the road!
Now, let me get onto that pie! Wow!! This looks awesome and I love how it is pretty healthy! I can’t wait to try this. It’s beautiful! A true come back classic!!;)
Thanks again and I can’t wait to read your book!!!:)
Thank you Heather, I’m so touched by what you wrote! So happy to hear you are doing well. :)
Your pie looks amazing!!! Love how thick the crust looks!!
that sounds delicious – anything chocolate and creamy without cream makes me happy. I have a can of coconut milk in the fridge right now
glad you are getting your mojo back – enjoy your posts and recipes – I got an email today which left me gobsmacked – not only did they offer advertising and SEO and all the usual rubbish but also to write my blog content – wondered exactly what it would leave me to do. Am sure you have many crazy emails like this but just thought I would share it after reading about you turning down offers – hope you haven’t had too many like this
Thank you for this post. I needed to read those words — and now I’ll need to eat that pie. :)
-Emily K
This sounds delicious!
okay I am REALLY thankful for this recipe — my fiance LOVES chocolate pie but all of the recipes I’ve seen call for scary ingredients like shortening and corn syrup. can’t wait to try this! :)
That filling looks so incredibly rich and thick. I made ice cream with coconut milk recently and when I chilled it in the fridge the mixture went wonderful thick and soft – I can imagine made with coconut cream it’s even more amazing!