Banana Cream Pie

This is the best Banana Cream Pie I've ever had.  I top mine with a Chocolate Sauce and Roasted, Salted Peanuts. This is a pure slice of heaven in my book!

Makes 1-9" pie

For the crust:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 lb vanilla sandwich cookies (about 24 cookies)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Crush the cookies and combine with the melted butter. Push into a pie pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

For the Custard:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
3/4 sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half or milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
2 bananas

In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk together the egg yolks, tapioca starch, and sugar. Next, whisk in the half and half, butter, and pinch of sea salt. Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat on to medium to medium-low. Whisk the custard, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool a few minutes and then whisk in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

Slice the bananas and layer them over the crust. Spoon the custard over the sliced bananas.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

For serving (whipped cream, chocolate sauce, peanuts):

Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with an electric mixer, whip the whipping cream along with the sugar and vanilla extract until thick. Be sure to not over whip the cream!  Place the whipped cream over the custard and spread out evenly.

Chocolate Sauce & Peanuts

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons half and half or cream
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
1/4 cup roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped


In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the half and half or cream, just to warm-only for about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate, stirring constantly until smooth. Spoon over the whipped cream on the pie. Top with the peanuts. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Enjoy!