BANANA CREAM PIE
KEEP IT CLASSIC OR ADD MY COCONUT, WALNUT CARAMEL SAUCE FOR TEXTURE AND COMPLEXITY.
SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED | QUANTITY: 1 9” PIE
LISTS
GROCERY LIST:
Homemade Pie Dough (ingredients below) or Store-bought Pie Dough
1 stick | Unsalted Butter
1 ¼ cups | All-purpose Flour (plus more for rolling out pie dough, about ¼ cup)
¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
4 tablespoons | Unsalted Butter
5 large | Eggs
1 ¾ cups | Whole Milk
2 ¼ cups | Heavy Whipping Cream
1 ¼ cups | Granulated Sugar
4 tablespoons | Confectioners’ Sugar
¼ cup | Cornstarch
½ cup | Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
½ cup | Walnut Halves
¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon | Sea Salt Flakes
Brand recommendation - Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
1 tablespoon | Vanilla Extract
3 large | Bananas
1 large | Lemon
KITCHENWARE:
9-inch Round Pie Dish
18x13-inch Baking Sheet
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer w/ Large Mixing Bowl
Medium Mixing Bowl & Large Mixing Bowl
Heat-resistant Bowl or Liquid Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons & Cups, Rolling Pin, Whisk, Ladle or Large Spoon & Pastry Brush
Pie Weights or Dried, Uncooked Beans
PREP
Helpful tips!
If you’re making the homemade pie dough and coconut, walnut caramel sauce, make both the night before.
Let butter for caramel sauce and filling come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.
*Dependent on the temperature of your home
BAKE
HOMEMADE PIE DOUGH:
1 ¼ cups | All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
1 stick | Unsalted Butter (cold)
3 tablespoons | Water (iced)
COCONUT, WALNUT CARAMEL SAUCE:
½ cup | Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
½ cup | Walnut Halves
¾ cup | Granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon | Fresh Lemon Juice
¼ cup | Water
¼ cup | Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon | Sea Salt Flakes
FILLING:
1 large | Egg (for pie crust egg wash)
4 large | Eggs Yolks
¼ cup | Cornstarch
1 ¾ cups | Whole Milk
½ cup | Heavy Whipping Cream
½ cup | Granulated Sugar
¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
2 large | Bananas
TOPPINGS:
1 ½ cups | Heavy Whipping Cream
4 tablespoons | Confectioners’ Sugar
1 teaspoon | Vanilla Extract
1 large | Banana
Start here if making homemade pie dough:
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Cube cold butter into ½-inch pieces and toss in flour mixture. Use your hands to smash the butter into the flour mixture until butter is in flat, flakey pieces.
Create a well in the center of the mixture and add cold water. Use your hands to mix until combined and dough can form a solid ball. If necessary, add additional tablespoons of water as needed ensuring that dough never becomes sticky.
Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and store in fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Continue here when making coconut, walnut caramel sauce:
Preheat oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven.
Place walnuts in a baggie and break down to smaller pieces using a rolling pin.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Keeping separated, arrange a thin layer of shredded coconut and walnuts on baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes. Remove and while keeping separated, stir shredded coconut and walnuts around to even toasting and bake for an additional 3 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
Whisk sugar, lemon juice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. You can occasionally stir or use a heat resistant food brush to ensure sugar around the edge doesn’t burn. Once mixture reaches a dark amber, remove from heat, about 10-15 minutes. Watch this part closely as it can burn in a second. This depends on your burner temperature and on cooler days it’s sometimes taken me closer to 18 minutes.
Immediately add cream and butter, whisking until completely incorporated and caramel is glossy. Add 3 tablespoons of toasted shredded coconut, 3 tablespoons of walnuts and teaspoon of sea salt flakes. Combine, cover and store at room temperature.
Reserve remaining toasted shredded coconut and walnuts in separate baggies for decorations.
Start here once homemade dough has rested or using store-bought dough:
Remove dough from fridge and lightly flour surface and roll out dough into a circle that fits your 9-inch round pie pan, about a 12-inch diameter. Make sure to rotate and flip your dough and re-flour your surface and rolling pin to avoid sticking. Use rolling pin to roll up dough and transfer to pie pan. Cut off overhanging crust, generously prick bottom and sides with fork and crimp edges to create desired pattern or use scraps to create decorations. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven 425° F and place rack in the center of the oven. Cut a square of parchment paper, about 11x11-inches and set aside.
After 30 minutes, remove pie pan from fridge and crimp edges to create desired pattern. Prick the bottom and sides of the chilled dough with a fork and place the square parchment paper over the pie and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 17-20 minutes (store-bought may take more/less time), until edges begin to golden.
During the first bake, whisk 1 egg together with about 1 tablespoon of water to make egg wash and set aside. After first bake, take pie crust out of oven and carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Using a pastry brush, brush entire pie crust, including edges and crimped sides, with a thin layer of egg wash. Return uncovered pie crust to oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, until pie crust is evenly golden brown. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
Separate 4 eggs and whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in heat resistant bowl or liquid measuring cup until thick and there are no lumps. It will look like a thick icing. Set aside.
Whisk milk, heavy cream, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer while whisking, about 3-4 minutes.
Turn heat to low and slowly stream a ladle, about 1 cup, of warm milk mixture into egg yolk mixture while whisking to gently warm the eggs. Too much warm mixture or not enough whisking could result in scrambling the eggs. Once combined, stream the now warmed egg yolk mixture into the remainder of the milk mixture while continuously whisking. Constantly whisk and simmer until the mixture thickens and large bubbles form at the surface, about 4-5 minutes. It should look like a thick pudding and be able to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove mixture from heat, stir in vanilla extract and butter. Transfer to large bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of filling making sure the plastic wrap is touching the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes and then place in fridge for about 30 minutes.
Gather pie crust, filling, caramel sauce and 2 bananas.
Evenly spread a majority of coconut, walnut caramel sauce on the bottom of the cooled pie crust and save about 2 tablespoons worth for final garnish. Slice 2 bananas about ¼-inch thick and arrange on top of caramel sauce. Pour cooled filling on top of bananas and evenly spread. Place plastic wrap on top of pie making sure the plastic wrap is touching the filling to prevent skin from forming. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving make topping by using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer to mix heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes depending on your speed setting. Remove pie from fridge and spread whipped cream over chilled pie. Decorate pie with leftover garnishes including extra banana (sliced), toasted shredded coconut and walnuts and caramel sauce.
Enjoy chilled and store leftovers wrapped in plastic in fridge.
