Sunbutter Dreams Pie

Do you remember peanut butter pie from your childhood? The kind made with peanut butter, cream cheese and whipped cream? Often with a layer of chocolate? Oh man. Yum. Ok, not that I EVER had that as a child. I didn't discover it until college, when all of the really sinful foods are discovered.

I was dreaming of a slice of said pie when I thought to myself: "Why not remake this to be allergy friendly?" Because around here, no one eats nuts. I googled it, and looked through a few recipes to get an idea of what the basic concepts were. Then I dove right in.

The following is an example of my cooking on the fly style lately. I rarely follow a recipe, seldom measure, and don't focus on accuracy when I do. This time, though, I really tried. Really. I didn't eyeball much.

The end result was FANTABULOUS! Says me. And my husband. Haven't taken it for a test drive with the kids yet, but I think it'll be a hit. This just in: all three kids love it.

Try it out. But only if you have a few pounds to spare, because you're not going to want to put this back if the pie plate isn't empty yet. Despite it being super rich. And bear with me on the directions, there are a lot.

Sunbutter Dreams Pie

Whipped cream:

• 1 can coconut milk (NOT light)
• 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1 single serve packet Vance's DariFree (or other powdered milk substitute- this is optional but does help a bit with the texture)

Filling:

• 2 tbsp Spectrum shortening
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 c Sunbutter Creamy (the kind with a red lid- it has a thicker texture than the yellow lid kind)
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut milk

Crust:

• 1 2/3 graham cracker crumbs (or cheerios, or chex, whatever you can do)
• 1/4 c sugar (maybe a touch more if using unsweetened cereal- or use a bit of brown sugar too)
• 1/4 c earth's balance soy free margarine

Step one: Make the coconut whipped cream. This is easy, but requires a little advance preparation. Put your can of coconut milk in the back of the fridge and leave it there for a few days. This gives it time to really separate and the cream to really thicken, making it easier to spoon just the cream out of the can. I originally thought: cold is cold. How much can it really matter after 24 hours? It matters. Twice I have tried this with just over 24 hours of refrigeration, and while the coconut milk has separated, the cream at the top is not thick enough to spoon out as easily as I like, with no extra liquid. Keeping the can in the fridge for a few days really allows the cream to get thick, almost like shortening, and the liquid under it will be almost clear and very thin. Very easy to spoon out the part that whips easily into soft peaks of heavenly yumminess. Yes, it will still work if the can is only in overnight. I just like it to be super easy. (Oh! And really, put it in the back of the fridge. Putting it in the door allows for frequent shaking, which keeps it from separating fully.) Also, I pop a glass bowl and my beaters into the freezer for 20-60 minutes before I whip the cream, to get a really good chill on them. Coconut whipped cream will last 2-3 days in the fridge, so you can whip it up in advance if you want. It is super easy once the coconut milk is chilled, so I wait until I need it. Less likely for some to 'evaporate' in the fridge overnight that way. LOL. That was the long, scary part of the directions, the rest is smooth sailing. You can do this!

Open the can of coconut milk. (DO NOT SHAKE!!) Take bowl out of freezer and spoon the thick layer of cream from the top of the can into your chilled bowl. Be careful to avoid getting the thin liquid from the bottom of the can, as it will make your cream too soft to whip well. Now whip on high speed with chilled beaters 1-2 minutes, until it starts to get fluffy. Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and one packet DariFree and whip another 1-2 minutes on high, until soft peaks form. Put back in fridge. Done! Don't taste it. You won't want to stop.

Step two: Prepare the crust. Pour 1 2/3 cups graham cracker or cereal crumbs into pie plate. Add 1/4 c sugar and stir to combine well. Melt 1/4 c margarine and drizzle over crumbs. Mix to combine well. Press mixture evenly across bottom of pie plate, and up the sides as far as you like. Set aside. (Chill if you would like. You can do this in advance too, if you want.)

Step three: Prepare the filling. This is the part where I really just guessed, so there is no science behind why I did it this way. It worked, though, so I'm not gonna question it.

Melt 2 tbsp shortening and 1 tsp coconut oil in microwave or small saucepan. Stir in 3 tbsp brown sugar. Heat and stir until smoothish. Allow to cool 10 minutes. (Really, I stuck it in the fridge for about 5 minutes.) Pour into mixing bowl and add 1 cup sunbutter. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, 1/3 c at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture should be very thick. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of the leftover coconut milk in with the last 1/3 c powdered sugar to increase creaminess. (And keep my poor little hand mixer from catching fire.) Mixture should be very thick now. It would roll into balls very nicely for dipping in chocolate to make home made buckeyes. But I digress. Now, add that lovely chilled coconut whipped cream. Mix about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Pour into graham crust and chill for 1-2 hours until serving. Keeps well overnight. Can't vouch for how long it holds up after that because it was gone!

That was A LOT of explaining, but it really goes together very easily. And it would be sooo good with a little chocolate shaved or drizzled on top. If the allergic kiddo could do chocolate. You can serve this to anyone, even without allergies, with no apologies or explanations. It is that good.

If careful, the above recipe can be dairy free, soy free, egg free, nut free, wheat free, gluten free, calorie free heaven. Ok, maybe not calorie free. But SO worth every one of them.