Hello my friends! I hope we are all keeping cool in this very hot summer. If you’re reading this from somewhere that it isn’t summer, just know I envy you. I’m sure this makes me a party pooper, but the novelty of summer heat wears off PRETTY fast when you’re not a kid and it’s no longer acceptable to sit in the kiddie pool in your backyard all day. Instead I have to wear real clothes??? And go to work?? And the whole time I’m thinking of the beach and/ or ice cream (or this Banana Cream Pie tbh) and basically what I’m saying is I think we should all get summer vacation no matter what age/ job we have. Who’s with me!
This was a pretty lazy segue into this week’s recipe, but really, what better way to enjoy summer than with a Banana Cream Pie? Essentially vanilla pudding with sliced bananas mixed in, this one is ~fancier~ because you make the pudding yourself. Plus did I mention there’s a layer of chocolate in between the graham cracker crust and the filling? Are you sold yet? Cool. The recipe comes from ZoeBakes because we all know I’m obsessed with her, so find the original recipe here.
Before we get started, here are your 5 things to be happy about today:
ONE. Seeing a movie in an otherwise empty theater and talking as loud as you please.
TWO. The caffeine boost of an afternoon iced coffee.
THREE. The melty consistency of a perfectly toasted marshmallow.
FOUR. A prosperous herb garden.
FIVE. Packing a cooler for the beach with watermelon, chips, and ice cold lemonade.
Let’s bake!!
Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 12 whole graham crackers
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter; melted
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate; finely chopped
Banana Filling
- 2½ tsp powdered gelatin; (1 packet)
- 2 Tbsp cold water
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract; or 1 scraped vanilla bean
- 1 cup heavy cream; whipped to soft peaks
- 3-4 bananas; cut into coins
Whipped Cream Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- bittersweet chocolate; for shavings on top
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grind together the graham crackers, butter, brown sugar, and salt until crumbs form, and can hold together when you squeeze some in your hand.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, using a small dry measuring cup to maintain an even, flat surface. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set and toasted.
- Immediately after removing the crust from the oven, sprinkle the bottom with the chopped chocolate, and allow to melt, about 5 minutes. Once the chocolate is fully melted, use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer evenly over the entire bottom of the crust and up the sides as desired. Allow to cool before filling.
Banana Filling
- In a small bowl, bloom together the gelatin and the 2 Tbsp cold water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk on medium low until simmering. If you're using a vanilla bean, heat the scraped seeds and pod with the milk now, if you're using vanilla extract, we'll add it later.
- Slowly, while whisking constantly, drizzle some of the heated milk into the egg mixture. This tempers the eggs so that they won't spontaneously cook when we add them to the hot milk. Once about ⅓ of the milk has been added and the egg mixture is warm to the touch, pour all of the egg/ milk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Once the mixture starts to boil, continue to cook, whisking constantly for 3 minutes, until the custard is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin and vanilla extract (if using) until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
- Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool to at least room temperature.
- Once cooled, fold in the softly whipped cream and sliced bananas, then pour the filling into your prepared crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until set.
Whipped Cream + Serving
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until the desired stiffness is reached. Stiffer whipped cream can be piped onto the pie, but I opted for a softer whipped cream that I piled on top, it's up to you!
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave some of the leftover bittersweet chocolate on top, and serve. YUM!!
Looking for more pudding pies? Look no further than here, here, and here!