Chocolate Pie- Recipe

This chocolate pie is a trap. A creamy, dreamy, delicious trap of deliciousness.

Can you guess the secret ingredient?


The secret ingredient is... *drumroll*

...Tofu!

Yes, this is actually a chocolate tofu pie, and a no-bake pie at that: but if you didn't tell anyone, they'd be none the wiser. I promise. It has significantly less fat than its cream-based cousins, removing some of the sin. Don't kid yourself though, you're still using Oreo cookies and chocolate: the tofu just helps to soften the blow a bit.

I've been wanting to make this pie for so, so long. The reason why I've been holding off is because of my lack of food processor, which makes life so much easier when it comes to crushing biscuits for cookie pie crusts. I couldn't wait any longer though: I came home from work, literally rolled up my sleeves, shoved the cookies in a sandwich bag and took a rolling pin to them. Old school, baby.

You will, however, at least need a hand blender if not a full-sized blender or food processor for the filling. My cheapy cheapo £4 supermarket one did the job just fine.

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

- 3 'sleeves' of Oreo cookies (about 36... 35 since one somehow got eaten before it joined the others...)
- 3tbsp margarine or butter, melted

Ingredients for Filling:

- 1 block firm silken tofu, drained (it's usually stored suspended in water)
- 12oz (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips (not 70% dark chocolate, or it'll be bitter)
- 1tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee (or your favourite liqueur...)
- 1tbsp vanilla (or 1tsp if you're using booze)

Method:

1) If you have a food processor, bully for you: throw all the Oreos into it and blend into crumbs. If not, put them in a sandwich bag and beat the snot out of them. Got someone you hate? Had a tough day? Then this is the job for you. You might have to do this in several stages: if you fill the bag up too full you risk bursting it and sending crumbs flying (guilty).
 

I got impatient and left some big chunks.

2) If you have a food processor, add the melted butter and pulse until well-combined. It should still be a bit on the crumby side. If no food processor, tip your massacred oreos into a bowl and mash the melted butter in with a fork to blend it in thoroughly.

3) Now pack the whole lot into the sides and bottom of an 8" or 9" tart or pie dish to line it, and stick it in the fridge while you make the filling up.


4) Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (do it in short 20 second bursts to stop the chocolate from burning), and add it, along with the drained tofu, honey, vanilla and coffee into a blender, and blend until smooth and well-incorporated (or, if you have a stick blender like me, put all the filling ingredients into a big bowl and blend it that way).


5) Take your cookie pie crust out of the fridge and pour the filling in, smoothing it out evenly.


6) Put the whole thing in the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours (this is the hardest part: not eating the pie at this stage!)

7) Now you can serve it. If you've used a loose-bottomed tart dish like I have, unmould it. If not, just serve it straight from the dish.



I served this to my mum and dad: Mum being a fellow seasoned tofu-eater, and Dad being a seasoned tofu-avoider. Neither of them could tell that it was made with tofu (I told Dad what it was made of after he ate it just to be sure), and both agreed that it tasted just as lovely and rich as a regular chocolate cream pie.

Serving Suggestions:

This was more than rich enough for me and I loved it just the way it was, but if you must, you can top it with whipped cream before cutting it up and serving. Sprinkle over some dark chocolate curls to contrast against the fluffy white cream, add a few strawberries to garnish on the plate, and you have yourself a very decent Valentine's Day dessert.

Note: If presentation is a must, use a food processor to get those Oreo crumbs as fine as possible, or really spend some quality time with that rolling pin (I'd just come back from work and was juggling dinner at the same time, hence my impatience). That way when it comes to packing the crust into the tin, you can get a really clean edge.

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