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.
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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!
I made this and it was wonderful. My coconut milk did not solidify when I put in the refrigerator overnight, which made me a little sad. But than I remembered that I could use agar powder to thicken it up, which I did and it turned out brilliant and incredible firm. I used 2 tbsp.
This pie is so scrumptious I ate 2 pieces the first time I made it. I made it again the following week, this time making a blackberry-blueberry-raspberry compote instead. My entire family l-o-v-e-d this. Thanks so much!
I wanted to make this today and I didn’t chill the coconut milk beforehand. I didn’t think it would matter because it was going to be melted anyway with the chocolate. It is now in my freezer. Will it still turn out or did I mess it up? I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow lol
Hi Ava, It should be fine – just try your best to scoop out the white cream portion when you remove it from the freezer.
I am so excited to make this tonight for a potluck I have at work tomorrow :)
is there any substitute for coconut oil? unfortunately, i just dont like its flavor.
Hey Gayle, Not that I know of off hand unfortunately – the coconut oil helps solidify the ingredients. If I think of anything I’ll let you know! You can try to find refined coconut oil. Apparently it doesn’t have a coconut flavour.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but instead of discarding the coconut water, how about using it in smoothies!
Finally! After devouring the site virtually many times over, I made a couple of your recipes! The pie was absolute perfection!! The crust, everything! The compote was too tart for my liking but the guest I really made this in honor of, loved it and loved it with the pie! Such a hit! I also tried some really sweet strawberry jam, I had made up a few days before, but that also didn’t pair well for me. Next I might try a raspberry reduction. Anyway, lots of fun and still playing. Thanks! :)
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying it out :)
P.S. For others, I also do not like when the dessert tastes like coconut but it really didn’t in the chocolate filling. In the crust, very slightly, maybe try Earth Balance instead. :)
This recipe turned out so good! So creamy and decadent, and the strawberry compote is a perfect match for the pie. I used sweet summer strawberries and had everyone asking for more. I was worried about the pie tasting too much like coconut, but I couldn’t even tell that it wasn’t made with regular dairy cream! No coconut flavor at all. Just chocolate. Delicious! Thank you so much, I will be making this again for all of my vegan friends!
I LOVE this pie!!! I’ve made it twice now, and it is my absolute favorite. My daughter can’t eat gluten or dairy, so this recipe is perfect for our family. And it’s just so good, even if you don’t have any intolerances! Sooo rich and satisfying. I also love having individually wrapped slices waiting for me in the freezer, so that I can throw one in my bag for lunch at work. It definitely classes up my Thursday lunch break! :)
Thank you, Angela!!!
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for letting me know.
Hello, thanks for the amazing recipe. I have a quick qs – does the taste of coconut come through? I am planning to make this today for my son’s bday and he is not a huge coconut fan. While we are vegetarian we are not vegans. Thanks!
Yes I think it does come through a bit, but not overpowering (to me anyway)
Could I use almond flour instead of oat flour? Do you have any suggestions of a substitute for the rolled oats? Your blog was recommended by a friend and I’m loving what I see!
Thank you!
Thank you for another brilliant recipe! I made it yesterday but was too impatient for the coconut milk to get cold, it still separated a bit and turned out wonderful nonetheless. Looked harder to make than it actually was. I also used Agave in place of all the maple syrup.
I made this over the weekend for my birthday dinner. Nobody in our family is vegan, but my husband and mom are trying to cut out gluten from their diets. Everybody loved it! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Angela,
Seems this might not be the ‘right’ place to share this, but here goes. Using components from three of your recipes, I made an almond, caramel, chocolate cup. I used the base from Raw Almond Butter Cups, the date caramel from Homemade Crispy Twix Bars, and the chocolate from Chilled Dark Chocolate Pie. So good!
Hey Jill, We must be on the same wavelength because I just made something like the a couple weeks ago! :) So good right? Thanks for sharing!
This came out amazing!!! My boyfriend who is not vegan adored it. Thank you!
yay! Thanks for trying it :)
Did it for a dinner party and everybody loved it! Very delicious! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us
I really wanted to love this pie. Unfortunately I will not make it again. The crust was way too dry and the filling was too fudge-like & dense. I’ve been on a search for a vegan chocolate pie since I stopped making my tofu version (trying to get off soy) but this wasn’t it. Thanks.
I made this pie for my grandma’s 100th birthday celebration this past weekend, and it was a hit! My son has every allergy in the book, but fortunately he can have almonds! I made this with Enjoy Chocolate Chips, and I brought it to the party, so he could have something delicious while everyone else ate the standard fancy desserts. But everyone was so intrigued by my dessert that they all wanted a taste! It was super rich, so a little bit went a long way. My son has never tried a pie before because of his allergies, so he was in heaven. I can’t get over how easy the recipe was and how few ingredients there were! I didn’t have time to refrigerate the coconut milk overnight, so instead I froze it for two hours, and the results were great — it was super easy to separate the fatty part from the watery part. Thank you!!
Hey Anne-Michelle, This is great news! Thanks for reporting back :)
I made this pie and it was so rich! My husband won’t let me make it again without some kind of adjustment. Any ideas? I loved it, but I have to agree it was super rich.