Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free Peanut Butter Pie!!

Back when we were dating, my husband introduced me to the most delicious peanut butter pie in the world.  The ingredients are: peanut butter, a box of powdered sugar, a LOT of cream cheese, and a whole container of coolwhip.  Take my word for it, this pie tastes SO good.  This weekend I was craving that pie; I haven't had it in a very long time! So I started to search my cookbooks and the web to find a suitable alternative recipe.  Naturally, the cream cheese and coolwhip have to go, and I wanted to make a dessert with a little less sugar.  I found recipes that used silken tofu and/or vegan cream cheese (usually made from soy!), which won't work for me.  SO, I did a little experimenting, and this is what I created!! By no means is it healthy; it still has a good amount of sugar...but, I would say its's much healthier than the original version!

Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
dairy free, soy free, gluten free, egg free


2 cups raw cashew pieces
3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 cup (plus up to 1/2 cup more) powdered sugar 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tablespoons milk alternative (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)


Place raw cashew pieces in a pot and cover with water.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let cool for a couple of hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.


Once cooled, drain soaked cashews and place in your blender.  Add the melted coconut oil and vanilla extract, and blend until cashews become a thick paste.  You may need to add a little bit of water to help the cashews along.  Once blended, add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar gradually, and blend well.  


Add to a large mixing bowl:  the cashew paste, peanut butter, and milk alternative.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the extra powdered sugar, up to 1/2 cup more to taste, and continue mixing until well-blended.  Add the pie filling to a cooked pie crust (I used this gluten free pie crust recipe from www.thespunkycoconut.com.  It was delicious and I highly recommend it!!)
and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before eating.  


**Note:  I used an 11" tart pan to make this pie, and not the conventional 9".  If you use a 9" pie pan, you may need to adjust the amounts, or you will have some left over.


Enjoy!!


*Ashley*