So. This dessert was supposed to be amazing. Out of this world amazing. My blog post title was also supposed to be different, instead of boring banana cream pie with peanut butter it was supposed to read: banana cream pie with salty bourbon caramel. Sometimes things just don’t work out, and this recipe pretty much failed, I couldn’t get the recipe to work. I’m sure some people had and will have success with it, just not me. I was actually pretty frustrated and felt like I couldn’t cook at all…nothing turned out. Well, the whipped cream turned out, but then I totally forgot to put it on the finished pie. Oh geez.
This is the second time I’ve attempted a crumb-type crust. See, crusts in general freak me out, and that’s why I always buy store bought flour crusts. I followed the recipe to a T, and though the crust tasted amazing, it looked horrible – lumpy, the edges didn’t stick together, etc. etc. That was my first disaster on this recipe. I ran to the store to pick up a already made graham cracker crust, along with vanilla pudding. After I followed the step-by-step instructions for the vanilla cream, after 6 hours in the fridge the cream was still milk consistency. Fail #2. And, after having great success last time I made caramel (for the first time) I burned the first batch this time, and the second batch never turned that gorgeous Amber color – I was paranoid I’d burn it again and was too conservative with the heat & the boiling time. So, I had to throw out two batches of caramel. The caramel also turned hard as a rock as soon as it cooled. Fail #3. I was intending to make another batch of caramel with the ingredients from the caramel that worked last time, but after curling my hair for my Mardi Gras party I had no time before my guests began arriving. Oh well.
So, even though this pie didn’t turn out how it was supposed to, and I had to modify everything and had to use store-bought crust & pudding, it was absolutely delicious – everybody loved it! If you give the original recipe a go, let me know how it turns out (and I hope you have success!!).
pie crust & bananas
- 1 large graham cracker crust (the one that serves 2 more, I think it’s a 12″)
- 3 soft bananas, sliced into 1/4″ round pieces
vanilla pie filling
- 1 large box of vanilla pudding
- 3 cups of cold milk
- 1 container Cool Whip
peanut shortbread crust
- 1 1/4 cups cups unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
whipped cream topping
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
salted bourbon caramel (the one that worked for me last time)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 7 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
vanilla pie filling
Pour the pudding mix into a large mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes with the cold milk. With a spoon, stir in the Cool Whip. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
peanut shortbread crust
Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Scoop out 1/4 cup ground peanuts into a small bowl; cover and set aside for garnish. Pulse the remaining peanuts until peanut butter forms, about 2 minutes.
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat both sugars, peanut butter, and butter until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2–3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, until well blended, about 3 minutes – mixture will be clumpy. Gradually pour in the dry ingredients and beat until just combined (mixture will be crumbly; do not overmix or crust will be tough). Scoop the crust out onto a baking sheet and press into a thin layer. Bake until edges are a deep golden brown, about 15–17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Once the peanut shortbread crust has cooled crumble with your fingers.
whipped cream topping
Using an electric whisk, beat 1/2 cup cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Cover and chill.
salted bourbon caramel
Add the sugar, water, and bourbon into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Use a spoon to remove any crystals that form on the side. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat to high. Now and then, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving – do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute. As the mixture darkens to a medium amber color, approximately 5-7 minutes, add the butter, heavy cream, and salt to saucepan. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine. Set aside to cool.
Assembly
Spread 1/4 – 1/2 cup of vanilla pudding over the graham cracker crust, then sprinkle a layer of the crumbled peanut shortbread crust on top. Place one layer of sliced bananas on top of the vanilla pudding/crumbed peanut shortbread crust. Spread 1 cup of vanilla pudding over the graham cracker crust, then sprinkle a layer of the crumbled peanut shortbread crust on top. Place one layer of sliced bananas on top of the vanilla pudding/crumbed peanut shortbread crust. Repeat one more time. Let chill for 2 hours.
After chilled, place the whipped topping on top of the last layer of vanilla pudding, drizzle the salted bourbon caramel over the whipped topping, and sprinkle with the reserved ground peanuts. Serve immediately.
omg, how scary. I think I’ll not try this… lol.. if YOU had a hard time, I can’t even imagine how it would go on my end.. ugh… makes me laugh
FYI: last night we tried the kale, cranberry, feta cheese pasta.. so easy! Loved it!! gonna do that one again
OH yeah, and we made the jalapeno poppers. Oh boy! those were good too!!! Thanks for keeping our kitchen exciting!!
If you use my version it’s super easy! I would also recommend doing the peanut butter shortbread crust and sprinkling it in every layer – the peanut butter plus banana go SO well together!