Banoffee Pie

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Last month, a lovely reader by the name of Anne requested that I healthify Banoffee Pie.  I have never heard of, let alone tasted, Banoffee Pie, but from what showed up on my internet search, I seriously wondered why that was.

     Bananas...

     Toffee...

     Cream...

     and a bunch of SUGAR.

Sounds delicious right?  Well, it does until you see the calorie count or think about the repercussions (sugar rush, sugar crash, paralyzing guilt, etc).  This pie desperately needed a healthy makeover.  No butter, no condensed milk, no heavy cream, and so on.  Despite how much of a challenge this sounded, I couldn't wait to make my own version!

Surprisingly, this pie was a success on the first go (woohoo, we can skip the trial-and-error talk!).  The crust was thick and full of flavor, the filling was smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of banana, and the whipped "cream" was fluffy and light.  I would have loved an extra layer of banana coins on the bottom of the pie but ran out of bananas.  And the grated chocolate over top compensated for that  ;)


Banoffee Pie:  [low sugar, GF]
(makes one 8" pie)

   Graham Cracker Crust:
       2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (I used these crackers)
       1/4 tsp Salt
       56g (1/4 cup) Coconut Oil, liquid
       1/2 tsp Butter Extract

   Banoffee Filling:
       1 heaping cup Mashed Banana + 1 tsp Lemon Juice
       1 tsp Vanilla Paste
       1 tsp English Toffee Stevia Extract*
       1/2 cup Light Coconut Milk, canned

       1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (or more coconut milk)

       48g (1/4 cup) Sucanat (or dry sweetener of choice)
       1 packet Knox Unflavored Gelatin*
       Sliced Bananas (enough to cover bottom of pie dish, plus more if you like)

   Toppings:
       Coconut Whipped Cream  OR  Soyatoo Rice Whip
       Grated Dark Chocolate
       Vegan Caramel

Directions:
1.  For the crust-  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs and salt.  In a small bowl, stir together the liquid coconut oil and butter extract, pour over the crumbs and stir together.  Flatten mixture into an 8" springform pan and bake for ~11 minutes.
2.  For the filling-  In a small bowl, mash the bananas and lemon juice.  Stir in the vanilla paste and stevia.  In a small pot, stir together the almond milk, coconut milk and sucanat.  Sprinkle in the gelatin and let sit for 1 minutes.  Place the pot over medium heat and stir until gelatin has completely dissolved.  Remove from heat, stir in banana mixture then pour over the crust.  Refrigerate until firm (~2 hours)
3.  Top with the coconut whip and chocolate, then serve!

*Notes:
-For $5 off (+ free shipping) the English Toffee Stevia Extract, use this code at checkout: BAF165
-Vegans, you can try using agar agar instead of the gelatin, however I have not tried it
-Best served day of making, but keeps well if covered and refrigerated

I am so glad I made this, my entire family loved it!