Halfway Cookie PIE

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and we’ve been plotting pie flavors. We were thinking chocolate. So…we’ve turned our favorite Halfway Bars into a luscious cookie pie. Oh my!

Earlier this Fall, we were invited to create a healthy dessert recipe for the approaching holiday seasons with NOW Foods products! They kindly sent us some healthy products to use and sample for our recipe testing. What a treat it is to open up a box of products that you know are totally natural. NOW Foods range from flours to chocolates to natural sweeteners and we’ve loved everything we’ve tried of theirs. We were excited to get recipe testing using these goodies!

We’ll gladly accept the invitation to linger in our kitchens for an afternoon, and test away on something sweet and delicious. With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, we were thinking pie for this particular project. But the flavor?! Where to start? We know most people like to turn to spiced pies like pumpkin or apple but here is a nice new twist!  What does “halfway” mean? It’s a cookie with the eggs and chocolate baked separate from the cookie dough. Instead of the egg whites baked into the cookie, they are whipped into a lovely meringue to cover a chocolate layer and a cookie base. This version is in pie form and it’s easier than it might sound! It’s also healthier without any refined white sugar, white flour or dairy! This chocolatey pie is oh so delicious that it might become as much of a tradition as your favorite family recipes.

The crust of this pie is a chewy dense cookie crust that just so happens to be dairy-free and gluten-free! Don’t worry, it’s still full of the fabulous buttery, vanilla flavors of a real chocolate chip cookie. To the center, we load it up with a thick layer of melted dark chocolate. The final and most beautiful layer is a sweet meringue, gently baked until it is ever so slightly “toasted”. These lovely layers combine for absolute perfection in this gooey cookie pie! Enjoy!

Healthy Halfway Cookie Pie (gluten-free and dairy-free)

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons Living NOW All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup Soy Free Earth Balance Butter
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons Coconut Sugar, divided
3 Large Organic Eggs, whites separated from yokes
1 1/4 teaspoon Cornstarch (organic, non-GMO), divided
1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3/4-1 cup Chopped Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate

Grease 10″ pie pan. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch. In another bowl, cream together the earth balance butter and 3/4 cup of coconut sugar. Add the 3 egg yolks and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined. Press the dough in the prepared pie pan, giving about a 1 inch edge.  Pour the chocolate chips in the center of the pie.

Wipe out the bowl that was used for the dry ingredients. Place the 3 egg whites in the bowl and begin whisking the whites. Slowly increase speed to medium speed. When they begin to look froth and lighten in color, add the cream of tartar and 3/4 teaspoon corn starch.  Continue gradually increase speed until the egg whites double in volume and begin to look glossy. Begin adding in the remaining coconut sugar very slowly. Be careful to add slowly – if you dump the sugar in at once, the meringue will lose it’s air. Beat until the sugar is completely dissolved and eggs are very smooth and firm, at least 1-2 minutes. The meringue should hold a soft peak and be light in color. Spread the mixture over the chocolate.

Cover the pan with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil cover and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. You can cut into while warm or refrigerate for firmer, cleaner slices.

The pie pictured is in a 10″ deep dish, but this recipe can stretched into a 12″ dish for a thinner crust.

This recipe post was created as part of the NOW Foods Holiday Smart Swap Recipe Challenge.