Gluten Free Vegan Carob Pudding Pretzel Pie
Every Christmas, I try to make a dessert to bring as an offering to the holiday table. This past Christmas, I decided to make something a little different since I couldn’t make the cheesecake that I have made the past few years. I found this particular recipe somewhere in my Facebook feed and I was determined to try it. While I have made things from scratch before, I had never made crust in my life, so I was a bit nervous taking on this new endeavor of making something from crust to topping. This pie was a hit and I’m thinking about eventually making it again eventually. The original recipe called for chocolate, however since I am allergic to chocolate, I made it with carob instead. It turned out just as good and nobody was any the wiser. I also decided to make my own whipped topping since prepackaged coconut whip was not available at my local grocery store. The original recipe can be found here http://meaningfuleats.com/gluten-free-vegan-chocolate-pudding-pretzel-pie/ for the pie and https://leelalicious.com/how-to-make-whipped-coconut-cream/ for the whipped topping. This dessert is Gluten Free and Vegan
Ingredients
- Crust:
- Ounces (about 3 ½ cups) Gluten free pretzels. Crush slightly to fit in the measuring cup if measuring instead of weighing - 5 ½
- cup brown sugar - 1/4
- Tablespoons vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance) - 6
- For the Carob Pudding:
- Cup Carob Powder - 1/4
- Cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch - 1/4
- Cup organic cane sugar - 1/2
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- Canned coconut milk - 1 13.5 oz.
- Cup unsweetened almond milk - 1
- Cup dairy free Carob chips (I used Chatfield’s Carob chips) - 2/3
- vanilla extract - 1 tsp
- Tablespoons vegan butter (optional) - 1-2
- For the Ganache:
- Cup dairy free carob chips - 3 ounces 1/3
- Teaspoons coconut oil - 2
- For the Topping:
- Can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk - 1
- Tablespoon maple syrup - 1
- Teaspoon vanilla extract - 1
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.
- Place the pretzels in a Ziploc bag and crush and crush into very small pieces. Pour into a bowl and add the brown sugar and vegan butter
- Pour into the prepared pan and press into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 10-12 minutes until toasted. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before filling.
Make the pudding:
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, whisk together the carob powder, arrowroot powder, cane sugar, and pinch of salt (if using). Over medium heat while whisking, add the coconut milk and almond milk. Whisk until totally smooth.
- Continue to whisk until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Once the mixture bubbles, continue to whisk and cook for another two minutes until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the carob chips, vanilla, and vegan butter (if using). Pour into a bowl and cool to just about room temperature, stirring often.
For the ganache:
- Melt the chocolate an coconut oil together in the microwave at 50% power for 30 -45 seconds, stopping to stir every 15 seconds. Stir until totally smooth Pour and spread over the bottom of the crust. Let set slightly before adding the pudding.*
*If you choose not to use the microwave, melt chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan stirring frequently until melted. Just take care not to burn the ganache.
- Pour the pudding into the crust. Smooth, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
Whipped Topping:
- 1 can (14 oz.) full fat coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Chill the can of coconut cream at least overnight; 24 hours would be ideal. The fatty coconut cream will separate from the coconut water and will accumulate and harden.
- Open the can and scoop out only the hard coconut cream that should have settled on top. Using a hand mixer, whip the coconut cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until fluffy. The whipped cream should be stable enough to scoop onto the pie.
- Scoop onto the chilled pie and smooth it out with a spoon or silicone spatula. Chill until ready to serve, preferably overnight.
