This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted. I’m serious. I do not joke about dessert. Make this pie.

I realized I needed to make this pie just a few weeks ago, when I made these cupcakes. The frosting…I told you how amazing it was. I didn’t get to use all of it for the cupcakes, and the leftover bit ended up being eaten with a spoon. My first thought was that it could stand on its own as an amazing chocolate mousse, and I still think that it can, if you’re looking for some quick and dirty deliciousness. My next thought was that this needed to be in a pie. Mud pie.

I’ve never had a conventional mud pie, but I had a general idea of what’s involved. A bit of recipe searching revealed that there’s definitely some freestyling going in when it comes to mud pie creation, but the common theme seems to be multiple layers of rich, sweet, gooeyness, with chocolate making repeated appearances. My chocolate whipped coconut cream concoction screamed of that kind of rich, sweet, gooeyness. Mud pie it was.

Even knowing how good this would be from the start, I became more and more excited as I went along the steps, tasting each layer and reveling in its unique deliciousness. As I often do, I repeated shouted from the kitchen to my boyfriend in the living room about just how awesome this would be. Apparently I didn’t prepare him enough because when I served the pie that evening to him and some friends his reaction was shocked delight. “This is happiness,” were the first words out of his mouth. “Mmmmms” and “ahhhs” sprung from the other happy mouths around the table. A few friends commented on the crust being exceptionally good, which baffled me initially, thinking it was just an ordinary graham cracker crust. It wasn’t until later on that I realized the layer of melted chocolate just overtop of the crust created a toffee-like base.

In the end this pie came together with an almost magical synergy. From here on out this will be my go-to dessert for impressing people.

5 from 3 votes Print Vegan Toffee-Crusted Mud Pie Servings 8 Author Alissa Ingredients Crust 2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted margarine Chocolate Coating Layer 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1 tbsp. margarine Cheesecake Layer 1 cup raw cashews soaked 4-8 hours

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp. non-dairy milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract Chocolate Whip Layer 14 oz. can coconut cream* refrigerated overnight

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup powdered sugar Optional Garnish 1/4 cup chocolate shavings I just sliced up a bunch of chocolate chips Instructions Prepare the Crust Preheat oven to 400. Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9" pie pan. Bake 10 minutes - until it begins to brown. Allow to cool. Prepare Chocolate Coating Layer Melt chips and margarine on stovetop or in microwave, in 30 second intervals. Blend completely and spread to coat the bottom of crust. Allow to cool until chocolate solidifies. You can speed this up by refrigerating. Prepare Cheesecake Layer Blend cheesecake layer ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Spread over chocolate layer. Prepare Chocolate Whip Layer Empty coconut cream into medium mixing bowl. Discard any water. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about a minute or so. Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar, about a third at a time, and beat well between additions. Continue beating until completely blended, smooth and creamy. Spread over cheesecake layer. Finish Top with chocolate shavings, if using. For best results, refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Recipe Notes Coconut cream, as opposed to coconut milk, has almost all of the water removed. You can find coconut cream at Trader Joe's, online, and probably at some supermarkets as well. Though most of the water is removed, I still suggest chilling it overnight in order to squeeze that last bit out and get the best results. If you don't have coconut cream close at hand, you can get away with using a can of coconut milk. There will be at bit more water, but not enough to have a major effect on your results.

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