Gluten Free (and egg free) Banana Cream Pie (White Chocolate and Toffee Banana Cream Pie, that is :)

On the first day of fall...

I made soup and it was almost 100 degrees outside. Then...

my true love said to me [can you tell I'm ready for Christmas ;)]

...as he was sweating bullets while trying to enjoy his bowl full of chicken soup, "This is what you eat when it's snowing outside and you've got a bad cold."

We both laughed. Why? Because less than a year ago we were all huddled together (baby included) under a big heavy blanket late at night during a terrible blizzard that caused us to lose power for over 7 hours! Even multiple layers of clothing and a cute, chubby baby for added warmth couldn't keep us from shivering.

Now here we are in Texas. It's fall but I don't understand why department stores are trying to sell us cute sweaters and snow boots with furry linings! It feels like a joke.

To prove to my husband that I hadn't lost my mind, I also made a white chocolate toffee banana cream pie. To me, that's a warm-weather dessert. So we had soup for dinner then gluten-free banana cream pie and ice cream for dessert :).

The verdict? Well, I won't be changing the recipe. I've found the winner. It is sweet, creamy and cool. Most banana cream pies don't actually call for bananas in the pudding filling, but I decided this recipe should! So I threw in half a banana, some white chocolate chips, and toffee. We're all happy with the decision :).

You're probably wondering where the eggs are. There aren't any! Lots and lots of heavy cream, even a bit of cream cheese, but no eggs. When you whip up the filling (literally); add the cream cheese and powdered sugar (which contains a bit of cornstarch); then throw in a few other magical ingredients, you get a banana cream pie with a consistency that resembles a delicious fluffy cloud (banana flavored, of course).

I'll just leave you all with this last statement: The photos are free of false advertisement ;).

Gluten-Free Banana Cream Pie

Filling:

2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup toffee bits

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 tablespoons cream cheese, I used neufchatel

1/2 sliced ripe banana

*You'll also need 2 more bananas for arranging the pie later, for a total of 2.5 bananas ;).

Cook above ingredients in a sauce pan for 8-10 minutes on medium, until it starts to bubble a bit. Should measure out to about 1 1/8 cup of filling. Allow it to cool for a few minutes then mix in a blender or with a hand mixer until smooth. Refrigerate while you work on the pie crust so that it cools.

For the Coconut Almond Pie Crust:

Preheat oven to 375

1 cup white rice flour, or brown rice flour (I've used both 2 different times)

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons cold water

1 Tablespoon shortening cut into little cubes

4 tablespoons cold butter, cold and cubed

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Starting with the dry ingredients and ending with the water, shortening and butter, mix above ingredients with your hands until you can shape it into a ball. Gently roll it out or use your hands to flatten it. I rolled it on parchment. Don't roll out too thin. Place in greased pie pan and smooth it out in the pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated 375 degree oven. Allow it to cool.

Continue with the filling...

Once the filling has cooled for 20 minutes in the fridge, mix the following in a small bowl...

1/4 cup more heavy cream

2 tsp gelatin (from the little brown packets)

Now, with a hand mixer, combine the above ingredients with the cooled banana cream pie filling. Mix for about 1 1/2 minutes, until very smooth.

When the pie crust is cool, pour the smooth filling over the pie crust. If you want to eat it sooner rather than later, store it in the freezer for an hour and a half or in the fridge over night (without the whipped topping, just the filling and crust).

Once the filling is set, you can make the whipped cream topping. I used...

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

To make the whipped cream, whip the cream by itself with a hand mixer. When it just starts to thicken, add the vanilla. When stiff peaks start to form, slowly add the powdered sugar and mix for just a few more seconds until the sugar is distributed throughout the whipped cream.

For arranging the pie...

Place sliced bananas over the pudding filling (I used 1 whole banana for this), then pour the whipped cream over that (smooth with a butter knife). Next, top with more bananas (another whole banana), or arrange along the edges of the pie. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut and more toffee bits.

Feel free to email me with questions. It's a labor of love but totally worth it! :)