HEALTHY CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE

Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
With a fork, mix in the olive oil until the mixture is ‘pebbly’.
Add in the water one tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to be moist, but not sticking to your hands.
Press the dough into a regular pie plate.
Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and cool while you make the filling.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together one cup of milk, sugar (adding what you like for your sweetness level), salt, and cocoa powder.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, egg yolks, tapioca starch, and vanilla in a bowl.
Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.
Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding comes to a boil.
Reduce the heat a bit, but maintain a simmer, and continue whisking until thick, about two more minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into cooled pie crust.

For meringue, immediately beat egg whites with lemon juice and salt until soft peaks form.
Gradually add sugar (again, to your liking) and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.
Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing the meringue to the crust.
Bake at 350℉ or until meringue is golden brown, about 9-11 minutes.
Cool for one hour, then refrigerate at least four hours before serving.

Nutrition facts based on using 1/4 cup coconut sugar TOTAL (in all layers). I chose a number that was modest, but not as low as do it. For my level of sugar (2 teaspoons in the crust, 1 tablespoon in the filling and meringue, respectively, the sugar grams are 5.8.

Calories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 22.4gProtein: 6.1gFat: 20.4gFiber: 3.5gSugar: 7.8g