Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie

Dulce de leche, banana and peanuts.....'nuf said.

Ok, so I do have more to say (come on, you oughta know me better than that by now).

You know how when you "think up" a great combo in flavors, then you google it and of course it's already been done. A gazillion times over. Ya well....it happens to me all the time. I never get to think up anything new and original.

But that doesn't ever stop me from making it and enjoying it and loving it. Especially this pie. It's no-bake and easy peasy. Perfect for summer. Or anytime when you don't want to turn on the oven. You can even let the kids make this. Of course, you'll end up with a sticky mess in the kitchen...but hey, that's half the fun when you're a kid, right?

This particular recipe was found on FoodNetwork, courtesy of Marcela Valladolid and can be found here: Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie. I did make a few very slight changes and omissions. You can compare the two if you'd like and do what you want. (that's what I love about cooking....making it your own)

Dulce De Leche Banana Cream Pie
Printable Version

Crust:
5 oz graham crackers
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, plus more for garnish, (I used salted)
8 TB butter, melted

Cream Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 TB butter, room temperature
2 TB powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup of dulce de leche, plus more for garnish
3 medium bananas, sliced

Place the graham crackers in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add the peanuts and continue processing until finely ground. Pulse in the melted butter until well combined.

Transfer the crumbs to a 9.5" pie dish and press against the bottom and sides. Place in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes.

While the crust is solidifying, whip the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixed on medium speed until fluffy and as lumpless as possible (there still may be a few but we want them to be minimal). Reduce the speed to low and add in the powdered sugar. Whip until just combined. (if you over whip, you might end up curdling the butter...not the result we're looking for). Add the cream and whip until you have soft peaks.

Take out your chilled crust and spread the dulce de leche on the bottom of the crust. If your dulce de leche is....too thick, you can warm it up a little in a pan first. Arrange your sliced bananas over the dulce de leche, overlapping as necessary.

Pour the whipped cream mixture on top of the bananas and spread evenly

(ok, so I didn't know how much filling I was making and apparently over extended my crust a bit)

Garnish with  dulce de leche and chopped peanuts.

I'd show you a picture of the sliced product....but to be honest, I suck at slicing and serving pie. It was a mess. But absolutely delicious. The saltiness from the peanuts, the creamy caramel dulce de leche and of course the bananas......ok, so I kinda wanna stick my face in it and come up licking.