Chocolate Cream Pie

"Sex in a pie," my friend said as she tasted this decadent dessert.  It's true, I couldn't get enough of this heavenly pie.  The filling was rich in chocolate flavor, smooth and creamy, with a perfectly firm consistency.  The crust was nutty and buttery and held together well.  And the coconut whipped cream reminded me of the "real thing"- rich and not too sweet.  Seriously, this pie will make you happy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of gluten free oats
• 1 cup of nuts (I used almonds and macadamia nuts)
• 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tbs of brown rice syrup
• 2 tbs of Earth Balance or coconut oil
• 12 oz of silken tofu- firm or extra firm!
• 6 oz of unsweetened 100% chocolate
• 4 tablespoons of maple syrup or more if you like
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• Whipped Cream:  1 can of whole fat coconut milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, process the oats and grind up the nuts to a crumb consistency (or finer if you like.)
3. In a large bowl mix together the processed nuts and oats, the coconut, Earth Balance and brown rice syrup until the whole mixture is soft and moist.
4. Press mixture into a nine-inch pie pan to make a crust and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until it's golden and toasty.  
5. Meanwhile, using a double boiler melt the chocolate until it becomes a liquid.  
6. Drain and dry the tofu, and in a blender or the food processor (cleaned after grinding the nuts), blend the chocolate and tofu until it's fully mixed. You might need to scrape the sides a a few times with a rubber spatula to integrate all the tofu with the chocolate.
7. Add the maple syrup and vanilla to your liking.
8. Pour chocolate tofu into the baked pie crust, smooth down the top, and let sit in the fridge for an hour or more.
9. Enjoy a slice with this easy-to-make whipped cream:  Take a can of full/whole fat coconut milk that has been sitting in the fridge overnight, scoop out the thick white fatty part of the milk into a bowl (save the clear liquidy part for another cooking project) and whip it with an egg beater until fluffy.  Mix in just a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup to your tasting.