Vickys 'Cool Whip' Substitute with Dairy-Free / Vegan Option

Directions

1. 1
   Have a bowl chilling in the fridge before you begin
2. 2
   Put the water in a small pan and add the gelatin.
3. 3
   Let it sit for 5 minutes to soften
4. 4
   Heat it on a low heat and stir until it's dissolved.
5. 5
   Don't let it boil!
6. 6
   Remove from the heat and set aside to cool
7. 7
   Beat the cream in the chilled bowl, don't whip it well yet, just get it going
8. 8
   Add the vanilla and a tbsp of the sugar.
9. 9
   Add more to taste.
10. 10
    Whip now until starting to lightly stiffen
11. 11
    Add the cooled gelatin mix and whip until stiff and holding shape
12. 12
    I always thought before that cool whip was just whipped sweetened cream but after actually seeing and tasting it, it's more structured than that.
13. 13
    The gelatin gives the cream the extra structure it needs
14. 14
    *If you use agar agar powder instead of gelatin the 1 tsp measurement is the same.
15. 15
    If you use agar agar flakes, you'll need 1 tbsp in the same amount of water
16. 16
    This will make enough for you to top a pie