Peppermint Cookies And Cream Pie

I dreamed up this pie for a Christmas party my hubby and I were hosting. I didn't tell the guests that it was wheat and cow's milk free. None of them had allergies or are used to "weird" foods or health food. And no one noticed anything odd about it (yay!) They raved about it. Hubby loved it too.
Some of the amounts here are estimated. I apologize for that... but I tend to be a "pinch of this, handful of that" kind of cook, so I didn't write notes while I was actually making the pie. I'm sitting down after the fact and trying to remember how I made it.

1 package Newman's Own Wheat and Dairy-Free chocolate sandwich cookies. (look at the label carefully... they have both regular and wheat free versions of these cookies!)
1/2 a stick of butter, melted  (I can tolerate butter just fine... if you can't, use palm oil or your favorite margarine)

1 vanilla cooked pudding mix. (I used Dr. Oetker Organics vanilla pudding mix, but Jello non-instant pudding mix would probably work too)
1 can coconut milk (not lite! You want the creaminess of the full-fat version!)
1 6 oz individual serving cup of plain goat's milk yogurt (you could probably substitute soy yogurt if you prefer, or just use more coconut milk. I like the touch of tartness added by the plain yogurt. Almost gives it a cheesecake-like flavor.)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
crushed peppermint candies for garnish. I prefer See's Peppermint Twists, as they aren't as hard as most peppermint candies.

Preheat the oven to 350.
For the crust, take about half the cookies, seal them in a gallon-size ziploc, and crush with a rolling pin. Pour crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate, and stir in the melted butter. mix the crumbs thoroughly until all coated with the butter. Use a spoon to press the crumbs against the sides and bottom of the pie plate to form the crust. After the crust is shaped, place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. This helps form a stronger, less crumbly crust. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.


For the filling, reserve four of the chocolate cookies whole, and crush or roughly chop up the rest, and set aside. Empty the yogurt into a 2-cup measuring cup. Pour coconut milk into the measuring cup until it reaches the 2-cup line. Pour into a saucepan, use a whisk to mix the yogurt thoroughly into the coconut milk. Whisk in the peppermint extract. Then whisk the pudding mix into the milk mixture, and turn the burner on to medium. Cook, stirring very often, until the pudding reaches a boil.  Cook and stir the pudding constantly for one minute as it boils. Then turn off the burner and remove from heat. Stir about 2/3 of the reserved crushed or chopped cookies into the pudding, saving the rest for garnish. Allow the pudding to cool for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Pour the warm pudding into the prepared crust. Allow to cool a few minutes more, until semi-set. Cut the reserved whole cookies in half, and place them around the pie for decoration, cut edge down. Sprinkle the reserved chopped cookies over the top of the pie, and top with the crushed peppermint candy. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool and set completely in the refrigerator, 3-4 hours.
Enjoy!