Caramel Coconut Mousse Pie

Okay, I think I may have created a new vice. For real, this dessert is ridiculous and almost too damn good. It combines some of my favorite fats — coconut, avocado and macadamia nuts — all together in a decadent, layered concoction. It’s perfect. The worst part, aside from trying to get it out of the pan (as you’ll see below), is when it’s all gone. This dessert is worth savoring and definitely worth making again. It sets up a lot better if you wait several hours to serve it, but then the avocado layer doesn’t look as nice and green (as you’ll see below).

Look at those layers!

Look at those layers!

Crust:

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • Dash of sea salt
  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until nuts are broken up a bit and all ingredients are well combined.
  2. Empty into a small loaf pan or small baking dish and place in freezer (Note: I used about a 4×7 Pyrex dish).

Caramel:

  • 6 medjool dates
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp water
  1. Briefly soak the dates in very hot or boiling water for several minutes. Once softened a bit, carefully remove from the water with a utensil. Pit the dates and add them to the food processor once cool enough to handle.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Empty into a bowl and set aside.

Avocado Mousse:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 small ripe banana
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • Dash of sea salt
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk
  1. Place all ingredients into the food processor. Blend until smooth.
  2. Pull the crust out of the freezer and spread the caramel on top. Next, top with the mousse. Garnish with chopped macadamia nuts or shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, if desired. Serve right away, messy style, or place in fridge until ready to eat (warning: the avocado will turn brown in the fridge though).
Avocado caramel coconut bars

Caramel coconut mousse pie.

A messy serving, but hey, life's not perfect!

A messy serving, but hey, life’s not perfect, and neither am I!

A messy serving, but hey, life's not perfect!

All those layers combine so well. It almost reminds me of one of those dump cakes (or is it dirt cake?), where everything is thrown together in the bowl in layers, but way better and more wholesome, obviously.

This is what it looks like if you wait several hours or overnight, but as you can see, the avocado layer turns brown on top, so it’s not so pretty. The layers look nice, but the green color … not so much! I actually like to eat it the messy way better.

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About paleoinpdx

Born and raised in Alpena, Michigan, I moved to Portland (PDX) in 2008 after graduating from college. I reside with my fiance, Jesse and our two cats, Mila and Dutch, in inner NE Portland. I am a yoga, fitness, health/nutrition enthusiast, and enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.

23 Responses to “Caramel Coconut Mousse Pie”

  1. Tara says :

    Glad I read this post! I’m going to try this.

  2. hännah says :

    Must. Try. Now. !.

  3. Corrie Anne says :

    I love layered desserts!! That’s beautiful!!

  4. eatandgetmoving says :

    OMG this is RIGHT up my alley! I love love love macadamia nuts, coconut and avocado!! This also looks amazing! layered like this :) I will so give this a go!! I will tweak it a little because dates upset my stomach, but I’ll replace it by something sweet nonetheless ;) Yum.. can’t wait – haha!

    • paleoinpdx says :

      Happy to hear it! You can just leave the date layer out if you like. They are a bit easier to digest since they’re softened in the hot water and then pureed, but I don’t know how sensitive you are to them. You could try figs or prunes instead if those agree with you. Let me know how things turn out and what you do with the middle layer!

      • eatandgetmoving says :

        All dried fruit makes my stomach go insane, so I think I’ll try something with either fresh fruit or I’m not sure yet.. I’ll do some tinkering ;) and I’ll get back to you

      • paleoinpdx says :

        Got it! I’m not sure how well fresh fruit will work because of the watery-ness, but let me know what you figure out. You can always just do a thicker layer of the avocado mousse.

  5. Alissa says :

    I wonder the avocado mousse would not turn brown if lemon juice or some type of acid was added. Adding lime juice to guacamole keeps it from browning so maybe the same concept would work here. Hrmmm! I’ll have to give it a shot and see. I’ve only made the chocolate avocado mousse and the cocoa hid the color change. Still so tasty!

    • paleoinpdx says :

      I thought about that too, but I didn’t want it to change the flavor of the dessert. It still tastes just as good once it turns brown, it’s just not as pretty! It’s fine for just at home, but if I were serving it to other people, I’d definitely care a bit more. I can’t eat cocoa, but otherwise that would be a great idea. Anyway, if you make this and try it with a little citrus, let me know how it turns out!

  6. myfoodreligion says :

    Omg can you please pop some in the post for me ;) that looks so good!!

  7. Alex Boake says :

    This looks AMAZING. I’m doing a Whole30 right now, so, yeah, bookmarking this for later. Delicious!

  8. Shonnie says :

    looks amazing. :D

  9. Susan says :

    Wonder if a little lemon juice in the mousse would help?

    • paleoinpdx says :

      It would help to a degree, I’m sure. I didn’t try it because I didn’t want it to alter the flavor, though I’m sure it’d taste fine, in reality.

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  1. Avocado Mousse Ice Cream « Paleo in PDX - September 13, 2012

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