Banana Cream Pie

I was recently invited to have dinner with some new friends and when I offered to bring something they requested banana cream pie. I agreed, then I panicked since I had never made banana cream pie and actively dislike it. I really wanted to impress my new friends so I did some experimentation and came up with this recipe that can be made by bakers of any skill level and will turn even banana-cream-pie-haters like myself into believers!

For each step in this recipe I have included an easy option and a more complex option. If you're pressed for time, this pie can be assembled in about 10 minutes, although it needs to chill for a few hours before serving. It's great to bring for parties, everyone will be impressed!

For this recipe you will need:

• a pie shell (either pre-made or you can make your own)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 1/4 cups cold milk
• 2 3.4 oz packages of french vanilla flavored instant pudding & pie filling
• 2-6 ripe bananas (depending on how big they are and how much banana you want in your pie)

I always have a bunch of pre-made pie crusts in my freezer since I make quiche approximately every other day, so I used a pre-made one.

If you want to make your own crust, I would recommend this recipe, or any other of your faves.

What ever pie crust you use, prick it all over the bottom and sides with a fork and bake it at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes until it looks golden brown and smells delicious. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely.

Whip together one cup of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar and 1/3 tsp of vanilla extract. This is a thousand times easier to do with a mixer, but it's do-able by hand. It also helps if you put whatever bowl you use in the freezer for a few hours beforehand. Whip it until it forms stiff peaks.

You can adjust the sweetness level by adding more or less sugar, depending on your personal preference.

I like making my own whipped cream for this recipe but if you don't have time, you can easily buy a tub of a whipped topping like Cool Whip. Don't get the kind in the can, it doesn't have the body to hold up against the filling.

Cut up a few of your bananas into slices about 1/4 inch thick and arrange them in a single layer on the bottom of the pie crust.

Add the milk to the two packages of instant pudding and whisk for 2 minutes. The pudding should start solidifying almost immediately. Once the pudding has firmed up a bit, fold in about half of the whipped cream you just made (or bought). I like to stop folding when the white whipped cream is not mixed in completely so it gives a pretty marbled effect to the filling.

If you want to make your own filling from scratch, I would recommend this recipe that you can use instead of the instant pudding filling.

Add the pie filling to the crust with the banana slices and spread it our so it's evenly distributed around the pan, then cut some more banana slices for the top.

Once the pie filling has been covered by another layer of banana slices, add the rest of the whipped cream on top and spread it out so it covers the entire top of the pie. Let it chill for at least three hours before serving.

Immediately before serving, slice more pieces of bananas and arrange in a pleasant design on top of the pie. And you'er done! Serve your masterpiece and enjoy!

I entered this one in our office bake-off and won second place! Woohoo!