A special chocolate ending to a spring day!

Yum-o, as my good friend Rachael Ray would say...and this pie is definitely without a doubt just that! What could be better than the flavor combinations of chocolate and banana?! This pie is super easy, and it is a litter version, so I guess it can be coined 'guild-free'. But whatever you may call it, any excuse to make pie and eat it too sounds like a perfect study break during dead week and finals. And being the great nutrition student that I am (hehe!), this pie has everything we need to keep our brain going during those long study nights. Bananas=potassium, and plenty of it, great to keep your body pumped with energy, and is also shown to help increase brain activity. And after you are done peeling your bananas, the peel also works as shoe shine! Dark chocolate=plenty of antioxidants that not only keep your body in tip top shape and free of invaders, but it tastes oh so good! So enough about the pie, here is how to make it!

Mocha Banana Cream Pie
Pie:
3 medium ripe bananas, thinly sliced
9-in. prepared chocolate pie shell
1/3 cup sugar
3 T. cocoa powder
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
2 t. instant coffee or espresso power (I didn't have this and it turned out just fine!)
12-oz. evaporated milk
1 egg, beaten
3 T. chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
Topping:
2 cups whipped topping
1 1/2 T. cocoa powder
1 t. instant coffee or espresso powder

To make:
Arrange the banana slices over the bottom of the pie shell. Set aside. In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the sugar, cocoa poder, cornstarch, and espresso powder. Whisk in evaporated milk and egg. Place pan over medium heat and whick constantly until the mixture is thickened and steaming, about 6 min. Add chocolate chips and continue whisking untile the chips have melted and the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from hear, whisk in vanilla. Pour filling over banana slices in the shell.
Refrigerate the pie until firm, about 2 hours.
For topping whisk together whipped topping, cocoa, and espresso powder. Spoon on top of pie.

Enjoy!! Lip smackin' good!!