Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Butter
The dessert of a peanut butter lover's dreams is peanut butter banana cream pie, which is incredibly decadent. Nutter Butter cookies are used to make the crumb crust, then layers of rich chocolate ganache, luscious banana slices, silky peanut butter mousse, and airy whipped cream are added on top. This dish can be prepared in advance; the toppings should be added only before serving.
No flavor combination beats peanut butter and chocolate. However, peanut butter and bananas are at least worthy of a mention! What about a banana, chocolate, and peanut butter combination? You'll wonder why you ever limited yourself to just two flavors after just one bite of this delectable trifecta! Layers upon Layers of Nutter Butter Love: This cookie crumb crust is the ideal foundation for a peanut butter banana cream pie since it is buttery, crispy, and peanutty (is that a word?). A rich, soft-set chocolate layer prepared with only two ingredients is called chocolate ganache. Similar to how we layer banana cream pie, banana slices are layered inside and outside the pie.
This peanut butter pie filling is a reader and personal favorite because of its mousse-like texture. I'm eager to see how it turns out in this pie.
The final touches for a pie that looks as beautiful as it tastes are whipped cream and chocolate curls!
Make a 2-ingredient Nutter Butter cookie crust first.
One of the best cookies for a crumb crust is Nutter Butter, an American sandwich cookie with peanut butter flavor. If Nutter Butters are unavailable, you can substitute a regular graham cracker, Oreo, or peanut butter Oreo crust, like in this peanut butter pie, for the Nutter Butters.
20 Nutter Butter cookies should be ground into crumbs using a food processor. Add 4 Tablespoons of melted butter after that. This was by far the best ratio of cookie crumbs to butter that my team and I tested to produce a thick, crisp crust. Bake the mixture for 15 minutes after pressing it into a pie plate. The oven can now be shut off because this pie has already been baked.
Much simpler than the regular pie crust.
Chocolate Ganache with 2 Ingredients
The chocolate ganache layer only requires 2 components, which are as follows:
Make sure you use pure, high-quality chocolate. I frequently use the 4-ounce baking bars made by Ghirardelli or Baker's that may be purchased in the baking section of supermarket stores. The ganache won't be as smooth if you substitute premium chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers.
Heavy cream may also be referred to as double cream or heavy whipping cream depending on where you are. Just make sure it contains at least 36% fat, or the ganache won't firm up as well.
In a heatproof bowl with finely chopped chocolate, warm the cream on the stove, pour it over the chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes, and then stir it slowly until the chocolate is completely melted. Since chocolate is solid at room temperature, the ganache will initially be quite thin but thicken as it cools.
Spread it over your crust after baking:
How to Make a Peanut Butter Cream Filling
I first tried preparing a peanut butter variation because handmade vanilla pudding is a necessary component of banana cream pie. It transpired... pretty disgusting, to put it mildly. There seems to be a reason why peanut butter pudding pies are rarely found in recipes. I can't come up with one!
Let's go with the peanut butter pie filling we all know and love since it is smooth, creamy, and has just the proper amount of peanut butter taste to go along with the bananas and chocolate.
You require these 5 ingredients:
Heavy Cream: This will be whipped separately first, then folded in. What's great about this item is that you can use it for both the whipped cream on top and the ganache.
The pie's structure comes from cream cheese, but we're not using a lot of it here to avoid the pie tasting like peanut butter cheesecake. Use brick-style full-fat cream cheese, not the spreadable variety found in tubs, as we do in our pecan pie cheesecake.
Peanut Butter: Use standard, processed peanut butter rather than natural variety to produce a soft and smooth filling.
Sugar used in confections: Adds the ideal quantity of sweetness.
Enhances flavor overall when used in vanilla extract.
beating the cream before incorporating it into the
It makes a texture that is nearly like mousse by beating the cream and then incorporating it into the remaining filling ingredients. It's difficult, but try not to eat this all with a spoon.
This Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie's Assembling
Almost everything is ready by this point. Spread the peanut butter filling directly on top of the layer of banana slices that you have layered on top of your chocolate ganache. I find that spreading the rich filling is simple with a small offset spatula.
The pie must now set in the refrigerator for at least 5 to 6 hours or overnight in order to set up. This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time, much like coconut cream pie and blueberry cream pie.
Add extra bananas, whipped cream, and any desired garnishes, such as Nutter Butter biscuits or chocolate curls, before serving. For the whipped cream, I use the same offset spatula, but you could pipe it on instead. Some of the components you'll need for the other pie layers are also used in the whipped cream.
Making Simple Chocolate Curls
I've spent years attempting to perfect the art of creating picture-perfect chocolate curls, I kid you not. I've tried a ton of difficult YouTube techniques, but none of them have been particularly effective. I was only able to produce chocolate shavings at best. Sure, it's tasty, but not curly!
Then, a team member named Trina recently shared a picture of the French silk pie she had baked for a recent round of recipe testing, and my first response was, "How did you make those perfect chocolate curls?"
Are you prepared to learn how to make beautiful chocolate spirals? Do you have a pen and paper nearby so that you can record everything? Okay, this is what you require:
a milk chocolate bar from Hershey's a vegetable peeler...I'm done now. LOL.
Simply run your peeler down the side of a standard-size classic Hershey bar. Applying these tiny items to desserts should be done with caution because they are delicate. Enjoy.
This Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie's Assembling
Almost everything is ready by this point. Spread the peanut butter filling directly on top of the layer of banana slices that you have layered on top of your chocolate ganache. I find that spreading the rich filling is simple with a small offset spatula.
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Preparation: 1 hour
Time to Cook: 15 minutes
6 hours total (including cooling).
1 9-inch pie has been made.
Ingredients
Butter Nutter Crust
Twenty Nutter Butter cookies will produce two and a half cups (290g) of crumbs.
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons; 56 grams) melted unsalted butter
Layer of Chocolate Ganache
Finely chopped, four ounces (113g) of premium semi-sweet chocolate and half a cup (120ml) of heavy cream
Filling with bananas and peanut butter
2/3 cup (160ml) thick cold cream
170g or 6 ounces Brick cream cheese with full-fat, cooled to room temperature.
1/3 cup (80g) of confectioners' sugar and one cup (250g) of creamy peanut butter
Pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
divided into 4 bananas
Cream Whipping
Cold heavy cream, one cup (240 ml).
Confectioners' sugar, 2 Tablespoons (15g).
optional garnish: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Nutter Butter cookies and/or a milk chocolate bar from Hershey's
Instructions
Set the oven to 350°F (177°C).
creating the crust Pulse the entire cookies—cookie and filling—in a food processor or blender to a fine crumb. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie dish that hasn't been buttered after mixing the cookie crumbs and melted butter together. Use your hand to push the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan to create a tight crust. Avoid packing down firmly because doing so will cause the crust to become excessively hard. Pat the mixture down until it is no longer crumbly or crumby. For 15 minutes, bake. As you prepare the rest, let it cool.
How to make chocolate ganache In a medium heatproof bowl, add chocolate that has been coarsely chopped. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream until it just starts to simmer. (Don't let it quickly boil; that's too hot!) Pour over the chocolate, then wait two to three minutes for the chocolate to gradually soften. Stir the mixture very slowly with a metal spoon or a small rubber spatula until the chocolate is entirely melted and the consistency is smooth. The speed at which the chocolate melts with the cream depends on how finely you chop it. Do not microwave something if it is not melting. Consult Chocolate Ganache Troubleshooting if necessary. When the ganache mixture is well-combined, reserve it while preparing the peanut butter filling.
Making the filling Beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed, either with a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, for three to five minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Place the bowl of whipped cream aside after scooping it out. Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed in the same mixer bowl (no need to rinse it off!). It will be a thick mixture. Whipping cream should be smoothly incorporated. You don't want to deflate that whipped cream, so be gentle.
Pie assembly: Over the chilled crust, spread the chocolate ganache. Over the ganache, arrange two banana slices in a single layer. (The additional bananas will be used to top the pie.) Since the filling is thick, the banana slices may shift around a little bit when you put the peanut butter filling on top evenly. Take your time and do your best, though.
For at least 5 hours and up to a day, refrigerate the pie in the refrigerator with a cover.
Whip the cream as follows: Beat the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla together on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, or use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
Place the remaining 2 bananas, cut into slices, on top of the cold pie. Add whipped cream over top. If you prefer to decorate in advance with whipped cream, see the make-ahead instructions below. Run a vegetable peeler down the long edge of a Hershey's milk chocolate bar to create chocolate curls. If using, add carefully on top of whipped cream. If desired, garnish with Nutter Butter cookies.
Slice and offer chilled. Pie leftovers can be kept in the fridge, covered, for up to five days.
Notes
This peanut butter banana cream pie can be prepared up to one day in advance. Until you're ready to serve, keep covered in the refrigerator. Step 7 should be completed prior to serving. Whipped cream can be placed on top of the pie a few hours prior to serving and kept chilled until ready to be served; however, bananas should not be used as a garnish that far in advance since they will start to lose moisture and turn brown.
Bread, typically but not always toasted, with a raw tomato half spread over it, seasoned with olive oil and salt, and occasionally with raw garlic placed on the bread prior to the tomato — like any dish, the less ingredients, the more important it is to use good components. While tomatoes are still in season, prepare this. Use the olive oil you've been saving for a special occasion to make this.
The bread resembles a short, wide baguette and is rustic and crusty. Traditional but unusual outside of Spain is pan de cristal. At home, I use ciabatta, but a baguette will do. Even the customary tomato (tomata de penjar), which is ripe and juicy and just the correct size for a split piece of bread, is utilized in this dish. Campari tomatoes, which are roughly the size of golf balls, can be found,
There are two main ways to prepare pa amb tomàquet, the first of which I've already mentioned: toasted bread with tomato rubbed on it and seasoned with salt and olive oil. To our joy, some restaurants will provide you with a platter with the ingredients you need to construct your own meal, including the bread, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt. The less traditional way involves grating the tomato on a box grater with huge holes, seasoning it with salt and olive oil, and then spooning it onto toasted bread that you may or may not have rubbed with a garlic clove. Correct me if I'm wrong. This approach also results in a tomato layer that is thicker and more resembling bruschetta.
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Ingredients
Cut 2 6-inch sections of baguette or ciabatta open longways.
1 whole, peeled clove of garlic
1 large (ideally 12 ounces) quartered tomato, or a few campari (golf-ball sized) tomatoes, cut in half
two or three tablespoons of olive oil
flaky sea salt
both methods: Because it will rapidly soften beneath the tomatoes, grill or toast your bread until it is quite crisp. When it's finished, massage the cut side with the peeled garlic clove if you want it garlicky. The bread is infused with the garlic juices that are released by the heat and abrasion. The approaches then change.
Use the rough edge of your tomato to shred it somewhat to the desired consistency before rubbing it over the toasted bread surface (leaving the skins behind). Add salt and generously drizzle with olive oil. Slice into pieces.
Less popular yet useful if you're cooking for a large group or if you want additional tomato on top: When using a box grater placed in a large, shallow basin, rub the sliced side of your tomatoes over the huge holes. Grate just the flesh; discard the skin. Season the tomato mixture well with salt and olive oil. Put some of it on your grilled or toasted bread. Slice into pieces.
Serve: Plain, with jamon, anchovies, or chorizo, or as a side dish to any tapa (like a potato tortilla), or with salad.
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