Sweet Potato Pie with a Toasted Coconut Crust

I tend to be a free spirited cook, and in the end, I often don’t know quite what or how much I put in. But I decided to make it again and measure everything, just for you! (or at least, that’s a good excuse, right?) There’s no gluten, dairy OR eggs, so it’s great for people with multiple allergies. It’s also a very good make-ahead pie.

If you’re craving a pumpkin pie, just use pumpkin instead and use the additional sweetener.

Crust:
2 ½ cups shredded, unsweetened coconut (or use sweetened and eliminate sugar below)
3T melted coconut oil, butter, or other oil, like canola
¼ t stevia or ¼ c sugar

Thoroughly mix coconut, sweetener and oil. Press firmly into a 9 inch pie plate (I find using gloves helps). Bake at 325 for 10-15 min or until coconut starts to brown.

Pie Filling:

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water
2/3 c. coconut milk
2 c. sweet potato (about 2 large)
½ cup pure maple syrup
up to ¼ cup added sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, xylitol, etc) (optional)
2 T molasses
1 t. cinnamon
¼ t cloves
¼ t allspice
½ t. salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Let gelatin sit in water for a few minutes (it will start to gel) before dissolving it on low heat. Mix other ingredients, add in gelatin and mix well, pour into crust. Garnish with pecans or toasted coconut. Refrigerate for a couple hours.

For a lower fat (not lowfat) pie: use “lite” coconut milk, and use a regular, pre-baked GF pie crust.

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2007