banana cream pie (gluten-free & dairy-free)

Today is all about pie. 

Well it's really about bananas. and cream. and pie.

And unicorns.

And fairies.

And dreams come true.

Because this pie and all those things truly belong in the same category.

Who ever thought you could make pudding from coconut milk?

I didn't until I tried it.

And wowzers, it was much better than I expected.

Banana cream pie is all about the bananas...duh!

Oh, and the delicious pudding too.

And maybe the cream topping as well.

Banana Cream Pie (gluten-free & dairy-free)

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups gluten-free animal cookie crumbs (I use Kinni-Kritters)

4-5 tablespoons Earth Balance, melted

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 large bananas, sliced (for later use)

1. In a food processor, crush cookies until they are crumb-like. Mix together crumbs, dairy-free butter, and sugar in a bowl. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees F for 8-9 minutes. Cool and fill as directed.

Pudding / Custard

3/4 cup to 1 cup white sugar

5 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups coconut milk

2 egg yolks (for vegans: use a spoonful Earth Balance and a few drops yellow food coloring)

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan. Turn on medium heat and stir in the coconut milk, gradually, stirring the entire time. When the mixture has come to a boil, let it bubble for 2 minutes and stir constantly. When the pudding has thickened, remove from heat.
2. Stir 1/4 cup of the pudding mixture into the egg yolks (or dairy-free butter if making vegan), stirring continuously until it is all mixed together. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining pudding. Cook on medium heat for 2 more minutes.
3. Remove the pudding from the heat. Add the coconut extract and vanilla extract. Give it one last stir.

Vanilla Cream Topping

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup dairy-free butter (Earth Balance)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-2 cups powdered sugar (add more or less, to your liking)

1. In a food processor (or with a hand-blender), whip together the coconut oil and dairy-free butter. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth.

Assembly...

1. In the bottom of your crust, lay your sliced bananas. (You may want to use only 2 1/2 bananas and save the other 1/2 banana for garnishing.) Pour the custard/pudding into the crust.
2. Cool pie (with custard filling) in the refrigerator, or freezer if you are in a hurry. If cooling in the freezer, it should take about 1 hour to cool. If cooling in the refrigerator, it should take a few hours to completely cool.
3. When cooled, spoon on the cream topping. Store pie in refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. When ready to serve, garnish with remaining banana slices.

YUM!

I got a few of my ideas from this blog right here.