Coconut Macadamia Nut Caramel Chocolate Pie- Vegan and GF

This is serious. This pie I mean.

Seriously decadent. Seriously delicious. A total show stopper you guys.

I also have to remind you that it is gluten, dairy, egg and soy free, sooo…. Basically I am pretty pleased with myself and how outstanding this turned out.

The crust is made from coconut and macadamia nut and then we have a thick layer of coconut ganache (with actual shredded coconut in it) then a layer of caramel, and then another layer of plain ganache. It’s topped with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts and is absolutely beautiful.

This pie makes some time to create, but it isn’t actually difficult. Plus it makes such an incredible impression that I am bringing it to Christmas dinner as one of the desserts this year- you should too!

We are enjoying the last few slices of this pie tonight after dinner. It has been a long lazy weekend that has been pretty wonderful. The kids had a recital this weekend and then my parents (I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!) took the kids so that Pete and I could binge watch Master of None for 6 hours on Netflix and then sleep for 9.5 hours uninterrupted!! Then we took a walk and watched the Seahawks game. GO HAWKS!!!

Then the kids came home and the normal (wonderful) chaos resumed, and Pia and I are busy baking all afternoon.

I’m making a big Sunday dinner and we are all just waiting until we can have this pie for dessert!

Coconut Macadamia Nut Caramel Chocolate Pie

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 60 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Coconut Macadamia Nut Crust:
14 ounces shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup toasted macadamia nuts
pinch kosher salt
¼ cup coconut oil
Coconut Chocolate Ganache:
1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut cream
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
12 ounces vegan dark chocolate chips or chopped
Vanilla Coconut Caramel:
1 cup beet sugar (or organic cane sugar)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
¾ cup unsweetened coconut cream (I use Trader Joes)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
Chocolate Topping:
6 ounces vegan dark chocolate chips or chopped
1 tablespoons coconut oil
Garnish:
Toasted macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, flaked coconut, sea salt

Instructions

For the Coconut Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor combine the coconut, nuts, salt and coconut oil and pulse until you have a crumb that when you pinch it together it holds tight.
Spray a pie plate with coconut oil spray and press the coconut mixture into the pie plate. Press down firmly (I use a measuring cup to pack it firmly) and evenly, leaving a crust around the edges.
Use foil to create a collar for the edges and then place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the collar and bake another 5 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and set out to cool on a cooling rack.
For the Chocolate Coconut Ganache:
In a sauce pan heat the coconut cream over medium-high heat. Stir in the coconut and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off and add the chocolate to the coconut cream and whisk until smooth- take off the heat to cool. Whisk and let the ganache thicken up and then pour into the cooked crust. Let the ganache set up and cool- about 30 minutes.
For the Vanilla Caramel:
In a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat melt the sugar. Stir gently until the sugar is mostly melted and then turn the heat to lowest and add the coconut oil and whisk in the cream and the vanilla. If the sugar seizes up then turn the heat to medium and stir consistently until the sugar has melted back into the caramel and it is smooth and thick. This can take 5-8 minutes so be patient!
Pour the caramel over the top of the set up ganache. Let the caramel cool and set up- about 15 minutes.
For the Chocolate topping:
Melt the chopped chocolate and the coconut oil in the microwave and whisk until smooth. Spread it in a thin layer over the top of the pie and then immediately sprinkle with the garnish.