I just made my new favorite dessert! These Mini Coconut Cream Pies are a super simple, delicious and healthy treat. I was trying to think of something I could make that wouldn't require an oven...and didn't have any added sugar. I had berries, coconut milk and a few other simple ingredients. I tinkered around with a few ingredients, then this was created.
Mini Coconut Cream Berry Pie Dessert
Canned coconut milk is always easy to work with, especially after it's been refrigerated for a few hours. The cream rises to the top and solidifies, making it easy to work with. Chilled coconut milk is sweet enough on its own that I don't add any other sweetener to it.
I also happened to have walnuts, dates and a fresh berries on-hand. The walnuts and dates made for a great crust, and the berries made for a healthy topping.
I used a standard size muffin pan for this recipe. You can certainly use a mini-muffin pan if you want to make bite-size desserts.
Something about the pie crust of this dessert really works for me. It's a combination of four ingredients: walnuts, dates, coconut oil and a little bit of sea salt. That smidgen of salt really makes this crust pop, giving it a really pleasant flavor against the sweetness of the dates and the creamy, rich flavor of the coconut cream.
Unlike heavy whipping cream, you really don't need to blend this cream quite as long. The consistency isn't quite as thick as a heavy whipping cream (at least not when I use it). There are no stiff peaks, but the cream sets up really nice in the muffin pan.
Parchment paper is a lifesaver! I just cut 12 strips of this wonder paper and lined each of the muffin forms. This makes removing the pies much easier...and much less messy than using a knife to negotiate them out.
I don't think I eat single food unless it has some sort of impressive nutritional value. Of course, I use this rationale when I drink red wine, too! Here are a few reasons you can feel good about eating this dessert.
1) Coconut Milk: The high fat content is about 50% medium chain triglyceride, which converts to energy much quicker than just about any other fat. You won't get this benefit from using traditional heavy whipping cream. NOTE: I use BPA-free canned coconut milk from Native Forest.
2) Walnuts: Used in the crust, walnuts are a great source of of omega-3 fatty acids. What's more, because this recipe isn't baked, the nutrients stay in tact. You won't get this benefit if you bake a crust. many nutrients, particularly fragile omega-3 fatty acids, are destroyed when they're heated.
3) Berries: I used organic strawberries and blueberries for this recipe. Both are incredibly nutrition, loaded with nutrients and minerals. This recipe works great with blackberries or raspberries, too. You can go berry crazy.
4) Belly Fat: This recipe is great for eliminating belly fat. With no added sugar, plenty of healthy fat and lots of nutrients, this is what the "Apple Type" needs to burn that unhealthy visceral fat.
Mini Coconut Cream Berry Pies
Yields 12 Servings
Ingredients
20 dates, pitted
2 cups walnuts
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
sea salt, pinch
2 cans full fat coconut milk, refrigerated for at least 4 hours
1 teaspoon vanilla (see my homemade vanilla recipe here)
2 cups strawberries, washed, stemmed and chopped
1 cup blueberries, washed
1. Cut 12 8-inch strips of parchment paper. Place along the inside of each muffin form.
2. In a food processor, pulse dates, walnuts, coconut oil and sea salt together until the mixture is ground and somewhat crumbly.
3. Evenly divide the walnut crust in each of the muffin forms, pressing down firmly over each strip of parchment paper. The crust should be about 1/4" high.
4. Open the coconut milk. Carefully scoop out the cream from the top. Place into a mixing bowl along with vanilla and mix on low to medium speed for about 2 minutes. (Discard remaining liquid from the cans)
5. Fold in 1 cup of strawberries and 1/2 cup of blueberries.
6. Evenly spoon mixture over the top of the walnut crust in the muffin forms.
7. Top with the remaining strawberries and blueberries.
8. Chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
Enjoy!
Need a little more help figuring out what’s right to eat for your body? The Belly Burn Plan has a nutrition plan, not a diet, that’s right for your body type! The book starts with a simple, short cleanse and moves into a combination fitness and meal plan. You can pick it up here.
