Mint Brownie Pie

If you read my post last week, I chatted a bit about traditions around the holidays. This Mint Brownie Pie became one of our favorite “must haves” at Christmas time.

Let me back track – I say ‘this’ Mint Brownie Pie but to be honest it was a much unhealthier version of this particular pie. My daughter actually found the recipe waaaay back when and we made it each every year because of her love of mint and chocolate.

Here’s the funny thing – she doesn’t like pie! She loved the mint chocolate brownie but never ate the pie crust. Thankfully it was one of the frozen store bought pie crusts suggested in the recipe so it wasn’t like I spent time making a homemade crust. One year I decided to just whip up the brownie part of the pie and omit the crust. I figured Mint Brownie would suffice since she didn’t eat the crust. Well, as traditions (and OCD) are a huge part of my daughters life – she wasn’t happy that the brownie wasn’t in the form of a pie! Needless to say, the Mint Brownie Pie was back in rotation the next year, even if the crust from her piece was tossed in the trash.

Fast forward many years ….her food choices have become healthier ones, so we had to try and recreate this Mint Brownie Pie into a paleo version and hope that it would be good enough to pass off and keep the tradition going. Not only is this version “good enough”, she’s actually taken this to a couple of potlucks and get togethers to offer as her contribution to the dessert table and has gotten rave reviews from non paleo peeps!

It’s exciting to know that after many years of eating a certain way, my example has paid off. I am not going to lie – I did give my daughter my 2 cents about eating real food and food choices etc (as most parents do!) but in the end, I didn’t force her into eating a paleo “diet”. I simply shared and hoped that someday she would come to the realization that eating real food was the best thing she could do for her health. She dabbled with keto for a while and realized on her own that eating dairy wasn’t the best choice so she slowly switched to more of a paleo lifestyle.

I love hearing her say things like, “I didn’t really get much veggies into my breakfast and lunch so I need to double up at dinner.” Or when I send out a text asking what she’s up to and her response is, “I’m at Whole Foods grabbing some brussel sprouts.” This makes momma happy! So when she suggests that we make a paleo version of the Mint Brownie Pie, I’m all over it because these little treats (and yes, they are treats!) are what help keep us sticking to a healthier diet 90% of the time. Btw, guess who eats the crust now??? Yep — my daughter! She’s all growed up 🙂

If you’re looking to help keep the sweets on the dessert table at bay, I suggest making this pie. It’s honestly a winner and highly praised by all – not just my family. You might want to make 2 pies because my daughter said this Mint Brownie Pie was gone before many of the other desserts at her last get together – – just sayin’!

Mint Brownie Pie

Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup cassava flour
2 tbsp tapioca flour
3 tbsp coconut sugar
1 stick (8 oz) grassfed butter (cold)
1/4 cup lard or shortening (cold)
1/8+ cup water
1 tsp salt
coconut oil or butter for greasing pie plate
9 inch deep dish pie plate

Crust instructions:

Combine dry ingredients in stand mixer, adding cubes of cold butter and dollops of lard a little add a time to incorporate.

Add water and mix well (Start with 1/8 cup water and add more if needed). Water is added to allow just enough liquid for a nice creamy consistency. It should still be a sticky dough, enough to form into a ball for refrigeration. It shouldn’t be runny.

Set dough on parchment paper and shape into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Set dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll out to fit a 9 inch deep pie pan (I use a bakers mat that allows me to make a perfect 9 inch round). Take top piece of parchment paper off of dough, carefully.
Using a 9 inch deep pie plate, wipe coconut oil or butter to grease.

Take your pie plate and turn upside down, laying gently on dough. Grab the parchment paper underneath the dough, with the sides of the pie plate and carefully turn over so the dough falls lightly onto pie plate.

Carefully remove the parchment paper from dough and lightly press the dough into your pie pan. Press the dough gently to edges of pan, making sure it reaches the height of pie plate. Flute the edges of dough if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 min.

Brownie:

1 cup almond flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup cashew butter
8 tbsp grass fed butter
4 oz + dark chocolate chips
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6-7drops peppermint essential oil

Brownie Pie instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients together.

In a small bowl, melt the butter and 4 oz. of dark chocolate chips in either microwave or small double boiler. Microwave in 20 second increments/stir to keep melting evenly without burning. Stir in the cashew butter.

Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients as well as whisked eggs, vanilla and essential oil.

Pour brownie batter into pie crust then back in oven for 15 min. Add a crust “topper” or use foil to cover edges of pie crust to keep it from burning…bake another 30 min. If middle is jiggly, keep baking at 350 in 3 min increments. (Mine has had to stay in close to 55 min at times. I’m not sure what makes the difference but anywhere from 45-55 minutes creates a delicious pie!