I was recently reminded of a wonderful dessert that Toni Kelly, PK’s mom, used to make using a cookie base, a layer of cream cheese and a layer of chocolate pudding covered with whipped cream.  PK and I used to make it with several different puddings, including pistachio, which is the recipe that recently made its way through Facebook.  Recalling the absolutely heavenly taste of this dessert, I decided to convert it to a low carb version. The taste is still heavenly although the portions are a little smaller, but it’s a wonderful treat.

This can also be made into little tarts by making them in flexible silicone molds and I’ve included the instructions for those as well.  The 1/2 cup servings help control the portions and you’re not as tempted to sneak another spoonful as you would be from a whole pan of it.

Mom Kelly’s Pistachio Cream Cheese Delight

For the Pie crust:
3 tablespoons Butter, softened
1/3 cup Carbquick or Almond Flour
1/3 cup chopped Pecans
3 tablespoons Granulated Sugar Substitute

For the Cream Cheese layer:
1/3 cup Powdered Sugar Substitute
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Cool Whip or Whipped Cream

For the pudding layer:
1 regular sized pkg Sugar Free Instant Pistachio Pudding mix
1 1/2 cups cold Unsweetened Almond Milk or Unsweetened Coconut Milk or
6 oz. Heavy Cream and 6 oz. cold Water

Topping:
1/2 cup Cool Whip or Whipped Cream
1/4 cup chopped Pistachios

Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.  Preheat your oven to 350 degress (F).

In a small bowl, mix butter, flour, sugar substitute and nuts together to make a crumbly dough; press into 8×8 inch pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 min.  Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, mix powdered sugar substitute*, cream cheese and cool whip and spread on cooled crust.

Using a whisk or an electric mixer. beat pudding mix and cold milk until thick.   Cover the pudding with plastic and place in the refrigerator and let set for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens.  Spread on cream cheese layer and top with a layer of cool whip and chopped nuts.  Refrigerate for two to three hours before serving.

* If you can’t find powdered sugar substitute, you can make it by putting granulated sugar substitute, like Splenda or Ideal Sugar Substitute, into a food processor and pulsing until it turns into a fine powder.  Failing that, just use the granulated sugar and mix it in well.

To make as individual tarts:

Mix the crust as above. Prepare 12 tart pans (silicone ones are easier to peel the dessert out) and lightly spray with a cooking spray.

Put 1 tablespoon of crust mix into each tart pan and press it down to cover the bottom. Put all the molds on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Mix the cream cheese as above, then put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of mixture into each mold. Spread with the back of the spoon. If it doesn’t spread easily or sticks to the spoon, wet the back of the teaspoon and do about three before wetting it again.

Mix the pudding as above and let set until partially firm. Spoon 2 tablespoons of pudding into each mold. Put pan in the refrigerator to cool and set up more.

Once they are set pretty firmly, put the tarts, still in the molds, into the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour to get mostly solid.  Remove from the mold (silicone ones will peel back) and wrap in plastic wrap.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the tart from the plastic wrap and set on serving plate to thaw.  Spread Cool Whip or whipped cream on top of each tart and sprinkle nuts on top.

Frozen tarts will keep for several days.

Makes 12 servings
Nutrition Info per serving
Calories: 129.4 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 2.1 g