Sugar-free Banana Cookie Cream Pie

I went over to visit my daughter at her college this past weekend and we had a wonderful time together. She's a creative cook and we enjoyed talking recipes while she whipped up an incredible spinach and goat cheese pizza for our lunch. She's graciously posted the recipe on her food blog, if you want to give it a try: http://whaticooked-ixipixi.blogspot.com/2010/02/pesto-pizza-with-goats-cheese.html Sometime later, our conversation turned to banana pudding when I complained about how her Dad will buy lots of bananas and not eat them, so I end up scrambling around having to use them in recipes or fruit smoothies before they get too ripe. I returned home to a speckled, ripe banana on the counter and knew exactly what to make!

This recipe is even faster and easier to make than cookies because you don't have to fiddle with measuring out teaspoons of dough and having to watch several batches, you just spread it in a pie tin and bake! The "pie crust" is nothing more than a big, delicious cookie filled with a thick, banana cream pudding. The taste will remind you of the famous banana pudding made with Nilla wafers, but this sugar-free recipe only has 9.1 grams of net carbohydrate per serving! So, if you're in need of some southern comfort food without the guilt, enjoy a slice today.

Banana Cookie Cream Pie(Makes 10 servings)

½ cup almond flour (or finely ground blanched almonds)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened (¼ stick)
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup Splenda granular (not baking blend)
1 large egg
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 small)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:
2 oz. mascarpone cheese (¼ cup)
¾ cup skim or 1% milk
1 tablespoon Splenda granular
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
one 1.4 oz. pkg. sugar-free, fat-free instant banana cream pudding mix

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Spray a pie tin with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, canola oil and Splenda with handheld or standing mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well incorporated and thickened slightly. Add mashed banana and vanilla extract and beat until well blended.

4. Add dry ingredients ¼ cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Using a rubber spatula, spread dough evenly in the prepared pie tin along bottom and sides. Bake until set and golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Immediately remove from oven and onto wire rack to cool.

5. When crust is cool, combine the mascarpone cheese, milk, Splenda and vanilla extract in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk or mixer. Add the pudding mix and whip until well combined and thickened. Spread evenly over the cookie crust and refrigerate until set, at least 20 minutes. Optional: Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or light whipped topping (not included in nutritional information below).

Nutritional Information per serving: 143.4 calories, 10.5 g carbohydrates, 9.6 g total fat, 3.4 g saturated fat, 1.4 g fiber, 3.5 g protein.
Original recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2010