Banana Cream Pie Homemade banana cream pie made with a creamy sweet vanilla filling with fresh bananas, handcrafted whipped cream, all in a buttery pie crust.
2 to 3large Bananas (may toss with lemon juice or Fruit Fresh)
1/2cupPowdered Sugar
(1) 9-inch Homemade Pie Crust or Purchased at Store:
1/2cupCOLD Butter(cut into cubes)
1 1/4cupsFlour
1/2teaspoonSalt
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cupCold Water (or Buttermilk or Milk/Vinegar Mixture
1/2teaspoonWhite Vinegar(if using water)
Instructions
Banana Cream Pie Filling:
In a medium bowl, stir together pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. To get it extra smooth, I suggest using a whisk. Place in the refrigerator to chill for several minutes.
In another mixing bowl, whip 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Carefully fold into the pudding mixture and then cover and return to the refrigerator to chill.
Pre-baked crust and let cool. Once cooled, layer with sliced bananas. To prevent browning, toss bananas with fresh lemon juice or sprinkle with Fruit fresh. Top bananas with pudding mixture.
In a mixing bowl, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in powdered sugar to sweeten. Spread on top of the pie. Return to the refrigerator and let set up for 3-4 hours before serving.
Homemade Pie Crust:
Stir together flour and salt. Slice cold butter into tiny shreds (I store my butter in the freezer) and add to bowl or food processor. Pulse until coarse meal or small peas form. .If you are blind baking the crust and not filling the crust with a baked filling, poke holes using fork along sides and bottom of crust. This will help keep the crust from puffing up while it bakes.Use Pie Weights, Rice, or Beans to keep crust in place. If you are blind baking your crust to be filled later with a cream filling, it is important to keep it in place. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper. Fill it with pie weights, rice, or beans and press against the sides of the crust.
Slowly add ice cold water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time to butter-flour mixture. Add vinegar and pulse until it starts to form together.
Press dough into a ball. Pat each ball into a disk, tightly wrap in Saran Wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 2 hours is preferred. Unwrap the dough, turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out, using a rolling pin. Don't overwork the dough. The key is to work quickly to keep the dough as cold as possible.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll it to at least a 13-inch diameter circle. Fold the dough in half and gently lift and position it over the pie pan. Unfold. Press the dough against the sides and bottom of a pan. Flute the edges by pressing the dough between the index finger and thumb of one hand and using the index finger of the other hand to make the scallop.
To blind bake the crust, poke holes using fork along sides and bottom of crust. This will help keep the crust from puffing up while it bakes. Use Pie Weights, Rice, or Beans to keep crust in place. If you are blind baking your crust to be filled later with a cream filling, it is important to keep it in place. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper. Fill it with pie weights, rice, or beans and press against the sides of the crust.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights and return to oven and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes (for a total of 16-20 minutes cooking time).