1.5 Pies... the art of impromptu (Ricotta Pie, Cappuccino Cream Pie)

I found myself with 2 small containers of cookie scraps today-- just enough for another pie! Thinking of some kind of filling that could complement the strength of the cookie flavors (dark chocolate, chocolate, and butterscotch pudding), I landed upon a ricotta pie recipe with almonds and tons of chocolate. Well that wouldn't do anything for me--other than give me more chocolate cravings-- but I figured a light, spiced ricotta filling wasn't such a bad match for a double-chocolate crust.

So I pulsed in a food processor:

1 1/2 15oz container, lightly packed cookie scraps (see flourless cookies)

until sandy, added 1 tbsp water and pulsed 5 times more.

Then I pressed the dough clumps into a pie pan and prebaked at 350F 5 minutes long

(Afterwards I left it to cool while I made the filling)

For the filling, I blended (by hand):

15oz pckg fat free ricotta

3/4 cup sweetener

and added

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp room temperature eggbeater, 2 tbsp at a time 

Then for the spices:

1/4 tsp butter extract

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

I poured the filling into the prebaked cookie crust and baked it (using an aluminium cover for the crust) for 40 minutes. Afterwards do remember to let cool for 1 hour and then refrigerate for 3 hours more (cheese filings need time for the flavors to meld). I had a slice and it was super yummy. The whole pie is around 870 cal (depending on the cookies you used for your crust, I used mostly the 10 cal chocolate fudge cookie recipe), which is quite obscene.

However, I ran out of chocolate ice cream--which I didn't think would be a problem as I had frozen yogurt (homemade, Dukan friendly) in the freezer to replace it. But when I tried out the froyo, i realized that it was absolutely disgusting! It was as if something was off... how long does yogurt last for in the fridge? I did have it there a week before making the froyo; perhaps yogurt doesn't last very long without preservatives. Well I was very annoyed because I want my pie with ice cream, and I didn't have any silken tofu in the fridge. But rummaging through said fridge I did find cream cheese and I had fat free cool whip in the freezer, so I decided to make a topping for my (one slice eaten) pie. Fashioning a partition with aluminium foil and part of the cool whip packaging in a very amusing way (wait til you see the picture), I blended

6 oz fat free cream cheese, room temp

1/4 cup sweetener

and added, 1 tbsp at a time

3 tbsp instant coffee mix (made with hot water and then cooled)

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

and folded in 

1/2 8oz pckge fat free cool whip, thawed (4oz)

and poured it over my pie. Impromptu cappuccino cream topping in 15 minutes!

my make-shift partition, held apart by the plastic that sealed the cool whip container!