Apple pie pudding - the pudding that started it all

I've been wanting to try Andy Dees' coconut apple pudding forever. I finally gave it a try the other night, and (as I am incapable of not tweaking a recipe) I accidentally came up with apple pie flavor!

Ingredients:

* 2 small gala apples (they have the sweet/tart flavor I like best, though I bet pink lady apples would be even better), peeled & chopped

* 1/2 can coconut milk

* 2 tbsp coconut oil

* 2 pinches salt (I know, pinches.  God.  My background in the sciences is totally mortified over this, but it's what I did.)

* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

* 1 tsp vanilla extract (totally homemade vanilla extract, its easy and awesome)

1.) Peel & chop the apples.  For some reason I diced them, my brain was running on auto-pilot.  Though for future recipes, it could be fun to reserve about half the dice to sprinkle in at the end for texture.

2.) Put it all in a small saucepan except for the vanilla, bring to a boil & back down to a simmer.  Simmer 20 minutes.

3.) Add vanilla, simmer 10 more minutes. (I had the idea in my head that if I added it at the beginning, I'd cook off all the flavor.  Not sure how valid this is.  But I did at least want to cook off the alcohol, so this was my compromise.  Feedback on this issue is welcome.)

4.) Take off heat and blend the bejesus out of it.  I used an immersion blender because putting hot things in a real blender makes me nervous.

5.) Pour in little bowls & chill.  The original recipe says to chill 24 hours.  I don't think I managed to wait more than an hour, but it was still really good!

Serves 2, or in this case one wide-eyed and drooling acupuncturist. (I was so surprised at how good it came out that I couldn't quite leave the second one alone. I held out for a whole half hour.)

Texture result: 3/4 pudding, 1/4 applesauce.  Just slightly grainy in a way that was reminiscent of rice pudding.  It set up fairly well, but not *quite* as pudding as I wanted it to.  Possibly this has something to do with not letting it chill. *eyerolls*

Flavor result: WIN!  Omg.  Tastes like apple pie!!

Future experiments: I want to try replacing the coconut oils with butter, and possibly tempering an egg into it in the last five minutes, both of which I think will give it a slightly more baked-goods flavor. [EDIT: Please note, if you're new to paleo, the butter no longer makes it "pure paleo" or dairy free, but rather a frequently accepted modification.  Also, neither butter nor eggs are vegan if you followed that label here.  But you knew that, right?]

Credit where credit is due:

- Andy mentioned it on Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution podcast episode 30.