Banoffee Pie

     I took parts of two similar but separate recipes that I wanted to try and combined them to make this dessert.  The first pie was a banana pudding pie from Lick the Bowl Good.  After I had bought all the ingredients for it, I read the recipe and it seemed like more effort than I was willing to put forth at the time.  The other recipe was for Banoffee Danger Pie from Brooklyn Limestone.  Although the pictures looked delicious, the recipe sounded a bit bland.  So I decided to pull pieces from each recipe (and use some of the ingredients I had bought for the banana pudding pie) to create this Banoffee Pie.  Next time I make this I will probably put another layer of bananas on top before covering with whipped cream and probably make sure I have some chocolate to shave over top of the whipped cream!  Please note that although this recipe is simple to make, it does take over 2 hours for the sweetened condensed milk to cook into dulce de leche.

2½ cups vanilla wafers, crushed (about 50 wafers)
½ stick of butter
4+ bananas
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup powered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 chocolate bar (optional, for shavings on top of pie)

Ahead of time you will need to make the dulce de leche (similar to caramel) for this recipe.  Remove the label from the sweetened condensed milk.  Place the can in a saucepan and completely cover with water.  Bring water to a boil and continue boiling for about 2½ hours.  It is very important to make sure to keep adding water to the pot, so that the can is completely covered with water at all times.  Remove can from water with tongs, allowing to cool completely before trying to open.

To make the crust:  Preheat oven to 350°.  Place wafers in a large Ziploc bag.  Use a rolling pin to crush the wafers.  Melt the butter.  In a medium bowl, combine the butter and the wafers until well blended.  Press the wafer mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie plate to create the crust.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.  (If you choose, you can skip this step and use a store bought graham cracker crust.)

To make the whipped cream:  In a electric mixing bowl, beat whipping cream on high until soft peaks form.  Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until it has the consistency of whipped cream.  (If you choose, you can skip this step and use cool whip.)

To make the pie:  Slice 3-4 bananas and place in the bottom of the pie crust.  Pour the can of cooked sweetened condensed milk over top of the bananas.  Top with additional bananas if you choose!  Spread the whipped cream over top of the bananas and caramel.  Top with chocolate shavings (optional).  Keep refrigerated.