This recipe was inspired by some French Silk Pies circulating around social media. Upon first seeing a beautiful food photo of the classic dessert, it will come as no surprise to why I stopped to admire it (I love a beautiful food photos!). When I realized what the recipe entailed, my mind immediately went to all of the ways I could upgrade those ingredients. I couldn’t be more proud for how it turned out.
What is French silk pie?
According to a quick Google search, a French silk pie is a dessert comprised of a crust, mousse-like filling, and whipped cream topping. It was the crust that initially caught my attention. While you can make a traditional pie crust, most recipes suggest using Oreos, pulsed in your food processor with melted butter, pressed in your pie plate and then pre-baked before adding the filling. I have a Healthified Oreo recipe in my cookbook, but I was not about to bake a batch just to then pulverize them in my food processor. Simple Mills makes a nut butter-stuffed sandwich cookie, which I knew would work wonderfully.
How I made a healthier French silk pie
Aside from the upgraded sandwich cookie crust, there are a few more ways I made this French silk pie on the healthier side. Traditionally, the pie filling is made with eggs, sugar, chocolate, butter, and cream to result in a mousse-like texture. Here are the substitutions I made:
- Eggs: No substitutions. Eggs are a necessary ingredient in this healthier French silk pie.
- Sugar: The primary sweetener I use is coconut sugar. When the traditional recipe called for powdered sugar, I used powdered monk fruit. Two more nutritious sweeteners according to science.
- Chocolate: I used unsweetened dark chocolate chips (I love Pascha brand), which not only cut down on the sugar content, but also increased the nutrition found in cacao. If you want your pie sweeter, or don’t want such an intense chocolate flavor, use semi-sweet chocolate chips, or a lower percentage of dark chocolate.
- Butter: I did use grass-fed butter to melt my chocolate chips. You could substitute with coconut oil if needed.
- Cream: I used Greek yogurt instead of cream. I admit I was nervous if the texture would turn out after chilling in the refrigerator, but it did turn out, and even lent a pudding-like consistency which I love.
- Whipped cream: I used a tub of store-bought lower sugar whipped cream for the topping. You could also make your own coconut cream, or use regular whipped cream.
Planning and prep
When you break it down, this recipe isn’t very complicated, there are just a few different moving parts to keep in mind. I highly suggest making this pie at least a day or two before you plan to enjoy it. This will give you sufficient time for the process, in addition to the chill time required for the pie to reach best consistency. The elements of the recipe that you will want to plan and prepare for:
- The egg and sugar mixture will need to be cooked until it reaches 160 degrees F {15 minutes}
- When the cooked egg mixture is combined with the melted chocolate mixture, it will need to be brought back down to room temperature {45 minutes to 1 hour}
- After the pie filling is poured over the pre-baked crust, the pie needs to chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
- After the whipped cream topping is added to the pie, I like to chill it for a couple more hours in the fridge, but this is an extra step and not required (although the whipped cream topping may be softer depending on which one you use).
All in all, I have the total prep time at about 10 hours, which is why I suggest chilling the pie in its entirety overnight to achieve best results.
Healthier French Silk Pie
Equipment
- Food processor
- Mixing bowls
- Hand beater or blender
- Pie plate
Ingredients
For the crust
- Cooking spray
- 1 box Simple Mills brand sandwich cookies or 16 to 20 sandwich cookies of choice
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or grass fed butter
For the pie filling
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- ¼ cup grass fed butter or coconut oil
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup greek yogurt coconut yogurt, or coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered monk fruit sugar or sub with regular powdered sugar
For the whipped cream topping
- 1 9 ounce tub of whipped cream or homemade coconut whipped cream see note
Instructions
- Make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Place the sandwich cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted coconut oil or butter and pulse until a crumbly dough is formed. Press the dough mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Pre-bake for 10 to 15 minutes until fragrant and set. Set aside to cool completely.
- Make the pie filling. Combine the chocolate chips and butter in a large microwavable-safe bowl. Heat for one-minute and stir until melted. If needed to further melt, continue to heat in 20 second intervals, stirring between each until creamy.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F and coats the back of a metal spoon (about 10 to 15 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature (until it reaches around 75°F, about 45 minutes to 1 hour), stirring occasionally.
- Add the yogurt to the chocolate mixture. Use an electric mixer until well incorporated. Add the powdered sugar and beat again until mixture is smooth and a pudding consistency.
- Pour the mixture into the pie plate, smoothing evenly. The pie will be filling to the top of the pie plate. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 6 hours.
- Add the topping. If you are using a tub of store-bought whipped cream, check the texture. You might be able to easily spread it on top. I had to beat mine with an electric hand beater until slightly softened. If you are making coconut whipped cream, find ingredients in the notes. Place the coconut cream in a metal bowl that has been chilled in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Use an electric mixer to beat the coconut cream, powdered monk fruit sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed until fluffy. Top the pie with the coconut whipped cream and garnish with chocolate chips, shavings or dust with cacao powder if desired.
