Banana Cream Pie

I'm usually not a fan of cold or cream pies.  Something about the gelatin like texture that gets me.  This one, though, is my new favorite pie.  I think.  Maybe it's tied with the pie that started it all, my first-ever-baked-apple-blackberry pie.  Or maybe I can have two favorites...one warm and one cold.  One with a traditional flaky crust and one with a giant chocolate chip cookie as a crust.

Yes, that is what it looks like.  The whole entire crust of this pie is one big chocolate chip cookie.  I made a bunch of dough, shaped it into the bottom of a pie pan, threw in some walnuts and baked it.

Good idea.  Now mix up some custard with bourbon, toss in some 'naners and you will have yourself a dang good pie.

I have a thing about whipped cream.  It's a difference between love and hate.  I hate the store bought stuff.  but I love it homemade.  And it's super easy to make!  I don't know why there is such a difference, but the junk in the white and blue tub found in the freezer section of the grocery store just does not cut it for me. 

Get ready.  I have a complaint about my KitchenAid standmixer. Gasp!  My one and only complaint with the machine is that it does not mix things in fairly small quantities.  Homemade whipped cream takes a lot of, well, whipping.  I tried to make my KitchenAid do this work for me, but it failed.  The issue is that the attachments on the mixer do not reach all the way to the bottom of the bowl.  I had 1 cup of cream that i was trying to mix with the whisk attachment and the whisk was barely touching any of cream sitting in the bowl. I had to do it with my hand mixer.  No big deal!  It's kinda fun anyway.  All you do is mix heavy whipping cream on high until it turns into whipped cream!  It's really fun to watch it happen.  Kinda like magic.  A teaspoon or so of sugar thrown in while mixing makes it a little sweeter, if the richness of the straight cream isn't enough for ya.

Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

Adapted Bon Apetit

1 pound semisweet chocolate chip cookie dough

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks

2 1/3 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon bourbon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 medium bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Spray a 9″ pie dish with nonstick spray. Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the pie dish and up onto the sides.  Sprinkle on the walnuts, pressing them into the dough. Prick the dough all over with a fork, and freeze the dough for 1 hour.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large piece of tin foil with nonstick spray, and cover the pie crust with it, sprayed-side-down. Fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, and cool completely.


In a pan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks, and gradually add the milk, continuing to mix until smooth. Whisk over medium-high heat until the custard thickens and boils. Remove from the heat and add the butter, bourbon, and vanilla. Cool to lukewarm.



Spread 1 cup of the custard into the crust. Top with the bananas. Cover the bananas with the rest of the custard. Chill the pie for 2 hours.


Next, beat the whipped cream. Spread over the pie, and chill again for 1-8 hours.