Homemade Banana Cream Pie

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and submitted your recipe earlier this month. This was such a fun experience and I enjoyed reading through all of your favorite desserts and how you make them, too! I feel like we should do this again sometime. Maybe during the holidays?!

The randomly chosen winner was Sara, who asked me to perfect her banana cream pie recipe. This actually made me really happy because I always have trouble with banana cream pie setting up. And if it’s not the thickness issue, it’s the flavor. But this gave me an opportunity to focus this month!

Bakers welcome to THE banana cream pie recipe.

First thing’s first! This is a completely from-scratch banana cream pie recipe. There will be no boxes, zero mixes, zippity zilch shortcuts. Banana cream pie is such a specialty and while I’ve definitely made this delicacy with pudding mixes in the past, we all deserve to try it the homemade way. Because I assure you: you can taste the difference. And it will graciously satisfy your heart, soul, and stomach.

Also, there are a lot of photos in your scrolling future. If you’d like to jump to the recipe, keep scrolling. It’s down there somewhere I swear.

Description

This homemade banana cream pie is phenomenal. The crust is buttery, the filling is luscious, and the bananas are beautifully tender. All from scratch!

Ingredients

Crust & Filling

• Homemade pie crust (recipe makes 2 crusts; you can halve the crust recipe or freeze the 2nd half)*
• 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 bananas
• optional: sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Coconut Cream Pie

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons (15g) of confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
2. After the pie dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (if you made the entire pie dough recipe– you can freeze the other half of the dough at this time). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Use a small paring knife to trim excess dough off the edges. Flute the edges. Chill the prepared pie shell for 30 minutes. You want it very cold before blind-baking.
3. Blind-bake the crust: Line the chilled pie shell with parchment paper, making sure to cover the edges so they do not burn. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, then bake until the pie crust is very lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil (and weights) carefully and continue to bake the crust until it is a deeper brown, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the pie shell to a wire rack to cool completely as you prepare the filling.
4. Make the filling: Combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer, whisking occasionally. Working quickly as the milk mixture begins to simmer, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together in a medium heatproof bowl until thick and smooth. Very slowly stream in 1 cup (240ml) of the simmering milk to slightly warm the egg yolk mixture. Then, in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pan. While continuously whisking, cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and butter. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the warm pudding to prevent a “skin” from forming on top. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
5. Slice 2 bananas and arrange slices into the cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spread cooled filling on top. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the filling. Again, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
6. When ready to serve, make the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto the chilled pie. Slice 2 remaining bananas and decorate the pie with slices. Slice and serve.

Pecan Pie Pumpkin Cheesecake

Notes

1. Make-Ahead Instructions: The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also blind-bake the crust 1 day ahead of time. Keep covered at room temperature. You can make the filling 1 day ahead of time as well. Make sure you place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the warm pudding before storing in the refrigerator. This is not the best pie to freeze. The filling’s texture is never quite the same.
2. Special Tools: Pie Weights | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
3. Time Saving Tip: To cut back on time, try using a graham cracker crust. Make sure you pre-bake it for about 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then let it cool completely before filling.

Fresh Blueberry Cheesecake with Homemade Crust