Vegan triple chocolate cream pie, it's fantastic and better than anything I've had in even rather upscale restaurants! This is one of those “cheater recipes” that is a bit shortcut-ish - and delicious.
Most the work goes into making a blind-baked pie crust. You can also use a pre-bought one, or even an Oreo crust. I do think a traditional crust is best, but not everyone wants to fw pie crusts and I respect that!
People who come into my recipes and immediately ask for something less processed, or something soy free, or gluten free or whatever. Who Hurt You? I am not a professional recipe person so I rarely test a substitute because the minute I have something excellent, why would I mess with it? However I promise if I do make this differently - say I'm cooking for someone who doesn't eat one of these ingredients - I promise I will update this post.
crust:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
4 - 5 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces
1/2 cup vegan butter
6 oz. chocolate pudding mix (no-heat)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa, plus a teeny bit more for dusting
1 lb silken, soft, or firm tofu
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
unsweetened soy, yellow pea, or almond milk
9 oz. vegan whipped topping, thawed
toasted coconut shreds (optional)
To make crust: freeze the Crisco first. Cut into cubes about 1/2". Mix flour, sugar, and salt well. Cut the Crisco into this mixture and add enough ice water so the dough holds together. Roll on a floured surface and place in a pie plate. Freeze 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. After crust has frozen, crumple a sheet of parchment paper and place in the crust. Use weights, dried beans, or sugar to weigh the parchment down. Bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove paper and weights; bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Set crust aside to cool to room temperature.
Melt chocolate and vegan butter in the microwave or a double boiler until just melted; stir well and set aside to cool slightly.
Add the pudding mix, sugar, cocoa, and tofu to a stand mixer; blend, adding the chocolate and butter mixture, and scraping the sides of the bowl until mixed well. Take your time blending! It will be gritty at first but over time will get glossy. Add vanilla, then plant milk sparingly while blending. The amount of plant milk you add will vary, mostly according to the tofu you use. You want the resultant filling to be glossy and a bit loose, as it will chill and set a bit more in the fridge.
When you are satisfied with the texture, fold a third of the whipped topping into the chocolate mixture. Spread it in the pan, and top with the remaining whipped topping. Lightly dust cocoa on top using a sieve, and add toasted coconut if certain members of your families don't hate coconut with the heat of a thousand suns.
Allow to chill at least an hour (if you can) - then devour!